Racial Disparities in Mental Health: A Data-Driven Learning Guide

Goal & Concept

Goal

This exercise will investigate racial disparities in mental illness, particularly differences in reports of depression between African American and White adults. Crosstabulation and linear regression will be used.

Concept

Race is a social category of people labeled and treated as similar because of some common traits, such as skin color, texture of hair, and shape of eyes. Racial categories are not natural, biological categories. Different societies identify different characteristics that distinguish one race from another. Racial categories are often reflected social rankings and access to resources.

Numerous disciplines study mental health and illness. The sociological approach to mental health focuses on the social conditions that influence psychological functioning as well as the processes linking social conditions and psychological well-being. Researchers might use measures such as self-reported mental health, medical diagnoses, scales representing symptoms of mental disorders, or number of work days missed due to mental illness.

Evidence shows that mental health disorders are not randomly distributed throughout society but tend to be higher among minority racial groups. Race can be an important predictor of exposure to stress, coping strategies, and social support and, in turn, mental health status. For example, experiences of discrimination are stressful events that place minorities at risk for depression and anxiety.

Examples of possible research questions about race and mental health:

• How is race related to self-rated mental health?
• How is race related to seeking medical treatment for mental health disorders?
• Are racial differences in treatment of mental health disorders related to differences in insurance coverage?
• To what extent can differences in mental health by race be explained by differences in income, education, and marital status?
• To what extent can racial differences in mental health be explained by differences in experiences of discrimination?

Goal & Concept - Dataset - Application - Interpretation & Summary - Bibliography