Assari Shervin, Lapeyrouse Lisa M, Neighbors Harold W
Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health (CRECH), School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd.; Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2700, USA.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2018 May 17;8(5):50. doi: 10.3390/bs8050050.
The minorities' diminished return theory suggests that socioeconomic position (SEP) generates smaller health gains for racial/ethnic minorities compared to Whites. The current study was a Black⁻White comparison of the association between household income and self-rated mental health (SRMH). This cross-sectional study used data from the 2017 State of the State Survey (SOSS). With representative sampling, the SOSS generates results that are generalizable to the state of Michigan. This study included 881 adults, ( = 92) Black and ( = 782) White. The independent variable was household income. The dependent variable was SRMH, measured using a single item. Age, gender, and participation in the labor force were covariates. Race/ethnicity was the focal moderator. Logistic regression models were used for data analysis. Overall, higher household income was associated with better SRMH, net of covariates. An interaction was found between race/ethnicity and household income on SRMH, suggesting a smaller, or nonexistent, protective effect for Blacks compared to Whites. In race/ethnicity-stratified models, higher household income was associated with better SRMH for Whites but not Blacks. Supporting the minorities' diminished return theory, our study documents differential effects for income on SRHM for Blacks and Whites, where Whites but not Blacks appear to benefit from their income. Given this, researchers and policy makers are cautioned against making assumptions that racial groups benefit equally from similar economic resources.
少数群体回报递减理论表明，与白人相比，社会经济地位（SEP）为种族/族裔少数群体带来的健康收益更小。本研究是一项关于家庭收入与自评心理健康（SRMH）之间关联的黑人和白人对比研究。这项横断面研究使用了2017年国情调查（SOSS）的数据。通过代表性抽样，SOSS得出的结果可推广至密歇根州。本研究纳入了881名成年人，其中黑人92名，白人782名。自变量是家庭收入。因变量是SRMH，通过一个单项指标进行测量。年龄、性别和劳动力参与情况为协变量。种族/族裔是核心调节变量。数据分析采用逻辑回归模型。总体而言，在扣除协变量后，较高的家庭收入与较好的SRMH相关。研究发现种族/族裔与家庭收入在SRMH上存在交互作用，这表明与白人相比，黑人的保护作用较小或不存在。在按种族/族裔分层的模型中，较高的家庭收入与白人较好的SRMH相关，但与黑人无关。支持少数群体回报递减理论，我们的研究记录了收入对黑人和白人SRHM的不同影响，即白人而非黑人似乎从其收入中受益。鉴于此，研究人员和政策制定者应谨慎，不要假设不同种族群体能从类似的经济资源中平等受益。
