Exploring regional patterns in the mental health of Black and White Americans

As an ICPSR member, your institution provides you with access to the often-reused data in the study, Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), 2001-2003. CPES allows you to combine three nationally representative datasets for robust research into the cultural and ethnic influences on mental disorders among the general US population–with special emphasis on racial minority groups. In this paper, authors Erving et al. merged respondent data collected in two of the three CPES datasets: the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), and the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), in order to investigate the “Black-White mental health paradox.” It refers to the pattern of Black Americans having similar or lower rates of psychiatric disorders compared to White Americans, despite greater exposure to stressors. Specifically, Erving et al. wanted to determine if the paradox held true across different US regions. They found evidence that the paradox was most pronounced in the US South, where Black Southerners had lower odds of mood, anxiety, and mental disorders compared to their White counterparts. Erving et al. suggested that Black Southerners may experience psychological resilience despite socioeconomic disadvantages. In contrast, Black Midwesterners had elevated odds of mood disorders, which was explained by lower educational attainment and employment levels relative to White Midwesterners. More than 1,100 other publications using CPES data are collected in the ICPSR Bibliography.