ABSTRACT
We believe that BA's focus on contextual determinants of depression may be a particularly good ®t for ethnic minorities, for whom depression is often characterized by seemingly overwhelming environmental hardships. For example, consider the following list of problems related to depression that may be experienced by low-income ethnic minorities:
· dif®culties with obtaining, maintaining, and upward mobility in employment, or being paid a wage that makes it impossible to pay bills or escape from poverty;
· health problems including obesity, physical pain from injuries, and chronic health conditions;
· daily hassles that are increased exponentially when living in economic distress such as use of public transportation, car maintenance, ®nding quality daycare if employed, and lack of insurance;
· problems stemming from not being able to speak English such as not fully understanding contracts or bills, dif®culty negotiating agencies and businesses;
· direct and indirect experiences of racism and discrimination.
It may be that BA techniques emphasizing perseverance, action and empowerment in the face of these hardships may both be more acceptable to ethnic minorities and ultimately more ef®cacious than techniques that locate the problem of depression within the individual (e.g., cognitive or biological factors). However, adaptations to increase the cultural sensitivity of BA also are necessary. Here we explicitly outline why and how BA may be adapted for Latinos and African Americans in the United
States, but these issues may be applied ethnic minorities and to the minority
