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Clarence Gravlee, PhD, Dept. of Anthropology, Florida State University, 1847 West Tennessee Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-7772, 850-644-4754, cgravlee@fsu.edu, Amy J. Schulz, PhD, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, School of Public Health, 1420 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, David Williams, PhD, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson St. Rm 2230, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, Barbara A. Israel, DrPH, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, School of Public Health, 1420 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, and Zachary Rowe, BS, Friends of Parkside, P.O. Box 13168, Detroit, MI 48213.
BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that perceived discrimination is linked to poor mental and physical health. However, existing studies are overwhelmingly cross-sectional, leaving room for debate about the causal relationships between discrimination and health. METHODS: We analyze data from two waves (1996, 2001) of the Eastside Village Health Workers Partnership survey, a community-based participatory survey in Detroit (N = 365). Using a recursive path model, we examine the longitudinal relationships among perceived discrimination, age, education, income, and both depressive symptoms and self-rated general health. RESULTS: There is evidence that an increase in perceived discrimination over time is associated with an increase in depressive symptoms (B=.13, ß=.27, p<.001) and a decrease in self-rated general health (B=-.21, ß=-.15, p=.001), independent of age, education, and income. There is also evidence that depressive symptoms at baseline are associated with increased reports of perceived discrimination at follow-up (B=.30, ß=.14, p=.007). By contrast, baseline depressive symptoms are not associated with subsequent self-rated general health. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that perceived discrimination is causally related to poor mental and physical health. Results also indicate that the cross-sectional association between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms may be biased by reverse causality; depressed individuals are more likely to report subsequent exposure to discrimination. However, the magnitude of this effect is small in comparison to the effect of perceived discrimination on mental health. Future longitudinal studies of perceived discrimination and health should identify the relevant time lag between exposure to discrimination and changes in health status.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Health Disparities, Stress
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.