Researchers from Arizona State University Report Findings in Mental Health Diseases and Conditions (Racial/Ethnic variation in health insurance coverage and early midlife depressive symptoms in the U.S): Mental Health Diseases and Conditions

2025 OCT 13 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Research findings on Mental Health Diseases and Conditions are discussed in a new report. According to news reporting from Phoenix, Arizona, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Health insurance access is a critical determinant of mental health, yet racial/ethnic disparities in coverage persist. Examining the relationship between health insurance access and depressive symptoms at early midlife can inform interventions addressing mental health inequities.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Arizona State University, “To examine the association between health insurance coverage type (private, public, or uninsured) and depressive symptoms (CES-D-5 scale) at early midlife and variation across racial and ethnic groups. We used data from Waves I, IV, and V of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative cohort study conducted from 1994 to 2018 in the U.S. The analytic sample included 7,302 respondents who completed Waves I, IV, and V, had valid sample weights, and were not missing key independent or dependent variables. We used ordinary least squares regression to evaluate the association between health insurance type and depressive symptoms. The analytic sample was 49% women, 4% Asian, 14% Black, 9% Hispanic, and 73% White, and were 38 years old (n = 7,302). Among respondents, 75% had private insurance, 16% had public insurance, and 9% were uninsured. Relative to those with private insurance, adults with public insurance (B = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.53, 1.10; P =< 0.001) and those uninsured (B = 0.95; 95% CI = 0.60, 1.29; P =< 0.001) had significantly greater depressive symptoms. Racial and ethnic differences emerged: Hispanic and White adults with public insurance had greater depressive symptoms, while uninsured White adults reported significantly greater depressive symptoms. Disparities in health insurance access were associated with differences in depressive symptoms at early midlife, with variation across race and ethnicity.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Addressing disparities in access to private health insurance may help improve mental health outcomes.”

For more information on this research see: Racial/Ethnic variation in health insurance coverage and early midlife depressive symptoms in the U.S. BMC Health Services Research, 2025;25(1):1299. BMC Health Services Research can be contacted at: Bmc, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9XW, England. (BioMed Central - http://www.biomedcentral.com/; BMC Health Services Research - http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Xing Zhang, College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, 425 N. 5th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States. Additional authors for this research include Leslie B. Adams and Tiffany L. Lemon.

Publisher contact information for the journal BMC Health Services Research is: Bmc, Campus, 4 Crinan St, London N1 9XW, England.

(Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world.)