The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #62036

Colwick M. Wilson, PhD, Department of Counseling and Family Sciences, Department of Counseling and Family Sciences, Loma Linda University, Griggs Hall, Graduate School, Loma Linda, CA 92350, 909-790-1871, cwilson@mft.llu.edu

Prior research on racial differences in mental health has found that blacks have lower levels of psychological well-being and higher levels of depressive symptoms than whites but have similar rates of major depression. These paradoxical findings are mostly derived from single studies that often use single measures of mental health to assess racial differences. Researchers are unclear about the extent to which sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors together with stressors and resources contribute to black/white differences in mental health. This paper uses data from the Americans' Changing Lives study (ACL), which is a large national probability sample of the U. S. population, to examine racial differences in psychological well-being, depressive symptoms and major depression. Additionally, it examines the role of sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables in predicting racial differences in mental health and the extent to which stressors and resources explain these differences. The analyses reveal the following findings: (1) blacks have lower levels of psychological well-being, higher levels of depressive symptoms and similar rates of major depression compared to whites, after adjusting for multiple sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors in the same national sample, (2) acute and chronic stressors adversely affect mental health for blacks and whites, (3) social resources are positively related to mental health for both racial groups, (4) religious attendance is more beneficial to blacks than whites for well-being and depressive symptoms but not for major depression.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to:
• Identify three important factors in research of racial differences in mental health in the United States.
• Identify four methodological developments in the study of disparities in mental status across racial groups in the U.S.
• Articulate the present state of the research evidence on racial differences in mental health in the United States.

Keywords: Measuring Social Inequality, Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.