Historically Marginalized Groups

The Impact of Depression on African Americans: An Evidence-Based Practice Approach Student Full Name Institutional Affiliation Course Full Title Instructor Full Name Due date The Impact of Depression on African Americans: An Evidence-Based Practice Approach Evidence-based practice forms the foundation of human services in careful research for intervention and treatment. It is most significant in mental health research due to the cultural nuances and social contexts playing a more critical role in diagnosis and treatment. This paper, therefore, focuses on a specific issue of depression among African Americans, how it can bring illumination and improvement in cases among the group, and evidence-based practices for such an approach. Depression, regardless of color or ethnicity, is a complex mental health condition that varies from one person to another. This essay summarizes three academic studies dealing with depression in African Americans, commenting upon findings and implications but also discussing how more significant cultural, societal, and political issues impact the diagnosis and definition of depression in this population. Summary of Articles Article 1: Cultural Context and Treatment Implications Methodology: The study by Ward et al. (2021) was conducted among African American adults between ages 30 and 65 years residing in Midwest urban areas. A sample was pulled from the target population through community health clinics and agencies to get representation that resembles the target population. Structured interviews and self-reported questionnaires were used to collect the data. Measures included the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Quick Inventory of Depression Symptoms. The method used was a randomized controlled trial in which participants were randomized to either a culturally adapted version of the (OHDC) "Oh Happy Day Class" course or to a comparison course entitled (CWD) "Coping with Depression." this design was to ensure a comparison of the two interventions against each other in terms of which one was more effective than the other. Findings/Results The significant outcomes of the intervention were that OHDC and CWD were both productive interventions in decreasing depressive symptoms in an African American adult population. However, the culturally targeted OHDC was more productive than generic CWD in lowering depressive symptoms, particularly at a more significant number of sessions or more excellent doses. It created a positive dose-response relation where the number of sessions was directly proportional to a more substantial change in the post-intervention phase of life, Ward et al., (2021). Authors concluded that the probability of treating such culturally adapted treatments like OHDC is more beneficial for African American populations and found the importance of cultural therapy in mental health interventions. Article 2: Socioeconomic Disparities and Mental Health Methodology The study by Cobb et al. (2020) focused on economically challenged African American adults who lived in South Los Angeles. The sample population for this study comprised 55 years of age and above, with 740 participants recruited using convenience sampling from the neighborhoods of Compton and Watts. Interviews were to be done personally from 2015 to 2018, where respondents supplied the answers by filling in surveys (Cobb et al., 2020). This research design was cross-sectional and approved by The Institutional Review Board of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Also, participants provided written informed consent, which enabled them to complete the procedure before enrollment and receive some financial incentive for participation. Findings/Results Key results highlighted the fact that the treatment was incredibly inadequate for low-socioeconomic African American older individuals. Even if about one-third of individuals indicated the point of the clinical presence of depression or a high level of depressive symptoms, a sufficient part of them did not get enough treatment. Age, level of education, and health care provider access were found as the depression treatment outcome predictors. Older people, es...