Discrimination Fully Mediates the Effects of Incarceration History on Depressive Symptoms and Psychological Distress Among African American Men

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.

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Taking It Like a Man: Masculine Role Norms as Moderators of the Racial Discrimination–Depressive Symptoms Association Among African American Men

American Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2105/ajph.2011.300485 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 102 (S2) ◽

pp. S232-S241 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

Wizdom Powell Hammond

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

African American Men ◽

Masculine Role ◽

Role Norms

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Which Personality Traits Moderate the Relationship Between Religious Capital and Depressive Symptomology in a National Sample of African Americans?

Journal of Black Psychology ◽

10.1177/0095798416654835 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (5) ◽

pp. 517-537 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Eddie M. Clark ◽

Cheryl L. Holt ◽

Min Qi Wang ◽

Beverly R. Williams ◽

Emily Schulz

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Big Five ◽

African American Men ◽

National Sample ◽

Big Five Personality ◽

Depressive Symptomology ◽

Religious Capital ◽

The Relationship

The present study examined the relationship between religious capital and depressive symptoms and the moderating role of the Big Five personality constructs in a national sample of African American adults. Data were collected from a national probability sample of 803 African American men and women using a telephone survey including measures of the Big Five personality traits, religious capital, and depressive symptomology. Most interestingly, there was evidence for Personality × Religious Capital interactions on depressive symptomology. Higher religious capital was related to lower depressive symptomology among persons with low conscientiousness or low openness to experience. However, religious capital was less related to depressive symptoms among those with high conscientiousness or high openness. This study reinforces the importance of examining the moderating effects of personality and perceived religious capital in understanding mental health outcomes. This information can be of use to practitioners in designing culturally appropriate interventions, including the use of capital from faith-based organizations.

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Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms Among African American Men Across the Adult Lifecourse

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbx077 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 208-218 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Felicia V Wheaton ◽

Courtney S Thomas ◽

Carly Roman ◽

Cleopatra M Abdou

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

African American Men

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Pathways linking adverse environments to emerging adults’ substance abuse and depressive symptoms: A prospective analysis of rural African American men

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579420000632 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Steven M. Kogan ◽

Dayoung Bae ◽

Junhan Cho ◽

Alicia K. Smith ◽

Shota Nishitani

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Substance Abuse ◽

African American ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

African American Men ◽

Emerging Adult ◽

Developmental Risk ◽

Relational Schemas ◽

Developmental Risk Factors

Abstract For African American emerging adult men, developmental challenges are evident in their escalating substance abuse and depressive symptoms; this is particularly true for men from low-resource communities. The present study tests a developmental model linking childhood adversity and contemporaneous contextual stressors to increases in emerging adults’ substance use and depressive symptoms, indirectly, via increases in defensive/hostile relational schemas and social developmental risk factors (e.g., risky peers and romantic partners, lack of involvement in school or work). We also advance exploratory hypotheses regarding DNA methylation in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) as a moderator of the effects of stress on relational schemas. Hypotheses were tested with three waves of data from 505 rural African American men aged 19–25 years. Adverse childhood experiences predicted exposure to emerging adult contextual stressors. Contextual stressors forecast increases in defensive/hostile relational schemas, which increased social developmental risk factors. Social developmental risk factors proximally predicted increases in substance abuse and depressive symptoms. OXTR DNA methylation moderated the effects of contextual stressors on defensive/hostile relational schemas. Findings suggest that early exposures to stress carry forward to affect the development of social developmental risk factors in emerging adulthood, which place rural African American men at risk for increased substance abuse and depressive symptoms during the emerging adult years.

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Discrimination, Mastery, and Depressive Symptoms Among African American Men

Research on Social Work Practice ◽

10.1177/1049731510385470 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 21 (3) ◽

pp. 269-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

Daphne C. Watkins ◽

Darrell L. Hudson ◽

Cleopatra Howard Caldwell ◽

Kristine Siefert ◽

James S. Jackson

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

African American Men

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Racial discrimination and depressive symptoms among African-American men: The mediating and moderating roles of masculine self-reliance and John Henryism.

Psychology of Men & Masculinity ◽

10.1037/a0028436 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 35-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

Derrick D. Matthews ◽

Wizdom Powell Hammond ◽

Amani Nuru-Jeter ◽

Yasmin Cole-Lewis ◽

Travis Melvin

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

African American Men ◽

John Henryism ◽

Self Reliance

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The Association of Emotional and Physical Reactions to Perceived Discrimination with Depressive Symptoms Among African American Men in the Southeast

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17010322 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 322 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Larrell L. Wilkinson ◽

Olivio J. Clay ◽

Anthony C. Hood ◽

Eric P. Plaisance ◽

Lakesha Kinnerson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

African American ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

African American Men ◽

Perceived Discrimination ◽

Southeastern United States ◽

Physical Symptoms ◽

Behavioral Risk ◽

Data Set ◽

Depressive Symptomology

This study examines the association of emotional and physical reactions to perceived discrimination with depressive symptoms among a sample of African American (AA) men in the southeastern United States. Analysis of the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data set provides an examination of demographic, perceived discrimination context, and health status differences in depressive symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire—2 (PHQ-2). The analysis also assesses individual differences among AA men related to experiencing physical symptoms and feeling emotionally upset due to perceived discrimination. A focused examination investigates the role of adverse reactions to perceived discrimination in association with depressive symptomology. Findings illuminate the significance of experiences of and reactions to perceived discrimination in relationship with depressive symptomology among AA men living in the southeastern United States. Findings also demonstrate the need for additional research focusing on perceived discrimination experiences in relation to depressive symptoms experienced among the AA male subgroup. Continued investigation of within-group differences among AA men, with health promotional strategies to foster social-emotional support, will further the improvement in health and wellness for AA men.

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