{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T18:38:00Z","timestamp":1792607880854,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792540800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Best Starts for Kids is a King County, WA","award":["Zoom Grant: 470875"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Zoom Grant: 470875"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosmentalhealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Ment Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Depression is a common and disabling condition, yet population-level estimates among Ethiopian and Ethiopian-descendant adults in the Seattle metropolitan area are limited. We conducted a cross-sectional community-based survey from November to December 2024 among adults aged \u226518 years who self-identified as Ethiopian or Ethiopian-descendant. Participants were recruited through social media, community networks, and faith-based organizations and completed anonymous REDCap questionnaires. Clinically significant depressive symptoms were defined as a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score \u226510, a screening threshold rather than a clinical diagnosis. We used logistic regression to examine associations between clinically significant depressive symptoms and the primary exposures of nativity, self-rated physical health, chronic medical conditions, reproductive health history, recreational marijuana or other drug use, and firearm exposure, with adjustment for prespecified sociodemographic covariates. A comprehensive model included the primary full-sample exposures simultaneously, with Benjamini-Hochberg correction for multiple comparisons. Among 474 participants (mean age, 31.6 years; 49.8% male), 178 (37.6%) screened positive for clinically significant depressive symptoms. In the mutually adjusted model, poorer self-rated physical health was associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms: average health (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.83; 95% CI, 2.08\u20137.36) and poor\/somewhat poor health (aOR, 10.73; 95% CI, 4.53\u201326.80), compared with excellent health. Ever use of recreational marijuana or other drugs (aOR, 3.52; 95% CI, 2.08\u20136.03) and knowing someone injured or killed by a firearm in the past year (aOR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.39\u20133.90) were also associated with higher odds. Among parous women, a history of postpartum depression was associated with current depressive symptoms (aOR, 9.76; 95% CI, 4.31\u201323.51). Clinically significant depressive symptoms were common in this sample and were associated with poorer physical health, recreational marijuana or other drug use, firearm-related exposure, and prior postpartum depression. Longitudinal research is needed to clarify temporal relationships and inform culturally responsive prevention and care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000736","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T17:41:03Z","timestamp":1792604463000},"page":"e0000736","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmen.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among Ethiopian and Ethiopian-Descent adults in the Seattle metropolitan area: A cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"3","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-3435-2184","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hiwot","family":"Weldemariam","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Washington","place":["Seattle, Washington, United States of America"],"department":["Department of Epidemiology"]},{"name":"University of Washington","place":["Seattle, Washington, United States of America"],"department":["Center for Firearm Injury Prevention"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-0178-9121","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yonathan","family":"Dagnew","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Washington","place":["Seattle, Washington, United States of America"],"department":["Department of Psychology"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-5255-7958","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Meron","family":"Girma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Washington","place":["Seattle, Washington, United States of America"],"department":["Center for Firearm Injury Prevention"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mehari","family":"Worku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Washington","place":["Seattle, Washington, United States of America"],"department":["Middle Eastern Language and Culture"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel A.","family":"Enquobahrie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Washington","place":["Seattle, Washington, United States of America"],"department":["Department of Epidemiology"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pmen.0000736.ref001","first-page":"168","article-title":"Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the World Health Organization\u2019s World Mental Health Survey Initiative","volume":"6","author":"RC Kessler","year":"2007","journal-title":"World 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