Contribution of Alcohol and Nicotine Dependence to the Prevalence of Depressed Mood in Different Ethnic Groups in The Netherlands: The HELIUS Study

Abstract

Objective: Ethnic minorities report different levels of drinking and smoking and higher rates of depression compared to native populations. In this study we aimed to investigate in six ethnic groups whether tobacco and alcohol use were associated with depressive symptoms, which are more prevalent in ethnic minorities.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from the multi-ethnic Healthy Life in an Urban Setting (HELIUS) study sample (N = 22,471) was used, comprising 4,580 native Dutch participants which were compared with participants from five ethnic minority groups (3,259 South Asian Surinamese, 4,292 African Surinamese, 2,262 Ghanaian, 3,891 Turkish, and 4,187 Moroccan).

Results: Alcohol misuse was positively associated with depressed mood in all ethnic groups except for the Dutch and the Ghanaians. Nicotine dependence was positively associated with depressed mood in all ethnic groups except for the Ghanaian group.

Conclusions: Alcohol misuse and nicotine dependence were significantly associated with depressed mood in most but not all ethnic groups and especially in men. However, across all groups the contribution of alcohol misuse and nicotine dependence to depressed mood was small. Prospective multi-ethnic studies should confirm whether the relations are causal and elucidate their direction.

Keywords:

• Alcohol misuse
• nicotine dependence
• depression
• ethnicity
• HELIUS study

Acknowledgments

We are most grateful to the participants of the HELIUS study and the management team, research nurses, interviewers, research assistants and other staff who have taken part in collecting the data of the HELIUS study.

Disclosure statement

All authors reported no conflict of interest nor did they receive any additional income in the previous three years.

Additional information

Funding

The HELIUS study is conducted by the Academic Medical Center and the Public Health Service of Amsterdam. Both organizations provided core support for the study. The HELIUS study is also funded by the Dutch Heart Foundation (Hartstichting), The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw), the European Union (FP-7), and the European Fund for the Integration of non-EU immigrants (EIF).