The U.S. Census Bureau (2000) reports that 32% of Texans are Hispanic
(of which 76% are Mexican) and 12% are Black. The Surgeon General (U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1999), in a report on
cultural diversity, reported that higher rates of mental disorders among minorities
is accounted for by the disproportionate number of minority women living in
poverty and thus experiencing more frequent, threatening and uncontrollable life
stresses than members of the rest of the population. A study of minority women in
Dallas County, Texas showed that the rates of postpartum depression among
Hispanics and African Americans were similar to rates for Caucasians (Yonkers
et al., 2001). Racial and ethnic minorities tend to minimize the significance of
stress. They also tend to have strong family orientations that provide support to
individuals coping with mental health problems, and they are underrepresented in
mental health services (USDHHS, 1999).