Mental Health Stress, Family Resources and Psychological Distress: A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis in African American Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 563-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah M. Whitley ◽  
Dorian A. Lamis ◽  
Susan J. Kelley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mediation Analysis ◽  
Family Resources ◽  
Longitudinal Mediation ◽  
Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren

Skin tone, life satisfaction, and psychological distress among African Americans: The mediating effect of stigma consciousness

2020 ◽  
pp. 135910532095425
Author(s):  
Asia T McCleary-Gaddy ◽  
Drexler James
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
African American ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Skin Tone ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Stigma Consciousness ◽  
African American Adults ◽  
Lower Life Satisfaction

This study examined the indirect effect of skin tone on psychological distress via (1) stigma consciousness and (2) life satisfaction among African American adults (N = 780; %Female = 57.65%; Mage = 37.68). Results show indirect effects of (1) skin tone on life satisfaction and (2) skin tone on psychological distress, each via stigma consciousness. Specifically, those with darker (vs. lighter) skin tones reported increased stigma consciousness, which then predicted (1) lower life satisfaction and (2) lower levels of psychological distress. Life satisfaction did not predict psychological distress. Implications for African American mental health are discussed.

scholarly journals Educational Attainment Better Protects African American Women than African American Men Against Depressive Symptoms and Psychological Distress

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shervin Assari
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
African American ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
High Education ◽  
African Americans ◽  
African American Men ◽  
Education Attainment ◽  
African American Adults

Background: Recent research has shown smaller health effects of socioeconomic status (SES) indicators such as education attainment for African Americans as compared to whites. However, less is known about diminished returns based on gender within African Americans. Aim: To test whether among African American men are at a relative disadvantage compared to women in terms of having improved mental health as a result of their education attainment. This study thus explored gender differences in the association between education attainment and mental health, using a representative sample of American adults. Methods: The National Survey of American Life (NSAL; 2003) recruited 3570 African American adults (2299 females and 1271 males). The dependent variables were depressive symptoms and psychological distress. The independent variable was education attainment. Race was the focal moderator. Age, employment status, and marital status were covariates. Linear regressions were used for data analysis. Results: In the pooled sample that included both male and female African American adults, high education attainment was associated with lower depressive symptoms and psychological distress, net of covariates. Significant interactions were found between gender and education attainment with effects on depressive symptoms and psychological distress, suggesting stronger protective effects of high education attainment against depressive symptoms and psychological distress for female as compared to male African Americans. Conclusion: A smaller gain in mental health with respect to educational attainment for male African American males as compared to African American females is in line with studies showing high risk of depression in African American men of high-socioeconomic status. High-SES African American men need screening for depression and psychological distress.

Psychological health and discrimination experience among graduate students: findings from the Stress Coping Obstruction Prevention & Education (SCOPE) Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 122-136
Author(s):  
Larrell L. Wilkinson ◽  
Jelani Kerr ◽  
Temple Smith ◽  
Muhammad Salaam ◽  
Minnjuan W. Flournoy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Poverty Concentration ◽  
The Usa

Purpose – African-Americans historically report greater exposure to discrimination and also experience unfavorable outcomes associated with physical health, poverty concentration, residential segregation, and poorer education. The effects of discrimination are particularly harmful on mental health as discriminatory experiences contribute significantly to diminished mental health status and psychological distress. African-Americans pursuing graduate education may experience additional stressors, increasing the risk for poorer mental health. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association of psychological health and discrimination experiences among black and white graduate students at a southeastern university. Design/methodology/approach – Participants were 505 graduate students at a predominantly white southeastern institution. Researchers collected data via self-administered online and paper questionnaires during the spring 2010 semester. Graduate students were asked questions pertaining to individual demographics, discrimination, and psychosocial concerns. Findings – Approximately 15 percent of the graduate students reported psychological distress. Additionally, black graduate students reported significantly higher levels of day-to-day and lifetime discrimination when compared to white graduate students. In addition to the proportions of psychological distress differing by race, African-American graduate students reported better psychological well-being when exposed to both day-to-day and lifetime discrimination than whites with similar exposure. Practical implications – Resilience factors and coping strategies should be examined further among African-American graduate students for greater understanding. Moreover, it is important to develop applications to improve mental health outcomes for all graduate students. Originality/value – This is one of the few studies to focus on the mental health and discrimination experiences among a graduate student population. The sample is drawn from the southeastern USA where there are long vestiges of discrimination and a sizable sampling of African-Americans who live in the USA.

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