Adolescent Hmong marriage and risk of depression

Abstract

Hmong women who marry before the age of eighteen are more likely to develop depression later in life, compared to Hmong women who marry after the age of eighteen (Bartz & Nye, 1970; Gangoli, McCarry, & Razak, 2009; Vang & Bogenschutz, 2011). Hmong are understudied and need more representation, which is why this research is crucial. The participants were between the ages of 20-30 years old, and included Hmong women from the Wausau, Wisconsin area. These participants are broken into three categories: married before they turned eighteen, after eighteen, or had never been married. They were recruited via snowball sampling, and individually interviewed using the Beck Depression Inventory and interview questions. After collecting the data and comparing the results, the researcher could not conclude that getting married young had a direct relationship with depression. However, someone who married before adulthood (before 18 years old) is more susceptible to depression relative to someone who married after 18 years old, or had never been married.