A review of community-based participatory research: a promising approach to address depression among Latinos?

US Latinos are almost twice as likely as Whites to experience depression in a given year, and to date, there is a gap in understanding how to effectively address depression in this population. This study reviews community-based participatory research (CBPR) publications involving Latinos and depression. The specific aims were to: (1) describe studies using CBPR for addressing depression among Latinos, and (2) identify challenges and lessons learned when using CBPR for addressing depression among Latinos. Electronic databases and the grey literature were reviewed for publications that included CBPR, Latinos, and depression, published between 1990 and 2008. Although few studies were identified, this review provides a baseline synopsis that can serve mental health researchers when developing studies to test/validate CBPR with this underserved population.