Introduction: The mental health of children and adolescents is a significant public health concern. Healthy People 2010, indicates that one in five youth has a diagnosable mental disorder each year (HHS, 2000). Nevertheless, research is limited on depressive symptoms and their environmental correlates among low-income African American adolescents (Shaffer, Forehand & Kotchick, 2002). Also scarce are studies on anxiety sensitivity among urban low-income African American adolescents (Ginsburg & Drake, 2002). Missing from the professional literature is research examining the impact of living in urban public housing developments on depressive symptom and anxiety sensitivity for this group. The purpose of this study is to: 1) assess the prevalence of depression and anxiety among African American adolescents living in public housing; 2) examine the relationship between neighborhood level risk factors and depression and anxiety; and 3) investigate the mediating effects of parents, peers and attitudes.

Methods: This study collected data from 238 African American adolescents ages 13 to 19 living in 3-public housing developments. Two trained African American public housing residents helped recruit youth and collect data. Univariate and bivariate analyses were used to examine the prevalence of, and association between, depressive symptoms and anxiety sensitivity. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to investigate the link between neighborhood (housing development) characteristics and depressive symptoms and anxiety sensitivity, and to explicate the mediating effects of parents, peers and attitude.

Results: Results show that males in public housing settings report a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than females. No age difference was detected for depressive symptoms. No gender or age differences were detected for anxiety sensitivity. When controlling for age and gender, depressive symptoms and anxiety sensitivity were positively correlated. Depressive symptoms and anxiety sensitivity had a positive significant relationship with neighborhood risk factors. The relationship between neighborhood risk and the outcome variables was exacerbated when a youth was involved with delinquent peers. Parental monitoring and encouragement and unfavorable attitudes toward deviance buffered the relationship between neighborhood risk and the outcome variables.

Implications: Interventions to prevent depressive and anxiety symptoms among African American adolescents living in public housing developments must reduce neighborhood risk factors and build on protective factors. Intervention within public housing developments must also include efforts to reduce physical dilapidation, violence and graffiti. Interventions should also seek to strengthen parental resources and help youth develop unfavorable attitudes toward deviance. Interventions must pay special attention to the needs of African American males considering they have a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms than females, placing them at higher risk for delinquent behavior and major depression disorder.