Moody Myles D, Browning Wesley R, Hossain Monir, Clay Olivio J
Department of Sociology, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Heritage Hall, Rm. 460, 1401 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Campbell Hall, Rm. 415, 1300 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA.
Soc Sci Med. 2023 Jan;316:114997. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.114997. Epub 2022 May 6.
The adverse mental health consequences of discrimination among Black adults, such as anxiety symptoms, are well documented. Prior research establishes anxiety as a risk factor for suboptimal health outcomes among Black adults. Most discrimination and mental health studies, however, have focused on the effects of personal experiences of discrimination. Moreover, of the studies that examine the mental health effects of vicarious exposure to discrimination, few investigate this relationship from a stress and coping perspective beyond the life stages of childhood and adolescence. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the effects of vicarious and personal experiences of discrimination on the subjective well-being of Black adults, while observing the potentially moderating effects of utilizing mental health care.
A subsample of Black adults (N = 627) between the ages of 22-69 years old were drawn from the Nashville Stress and Health Study and analyzed to assess within-group variation. Multivariate linear regression was employed to examine the association between vicarious experiences of major discrimination and self-reported anxiety symptoms. Additionally, we evaluated the moderating effects of lifetime utilization of mental health services on the relationship between discrimination and symptoms of anxiety.
Findings revealed that vicarious experiences of major discrimination and personal experiences of everyday discrimination were both associated with higher levels of anxiety symptoms among the participants. Additionally, lifetime utilization of mental health care moderated the effects of vicarious and personal experiences of discrimination.
The secondhand consequences of discrimination must be considered while assessing the racism-related stress experience. Results from this investigation suggest that mental health treatment should be included in programs targeted to reduce the negative effects of discrimination among Black adults. Additionally, culturally-specific strategies should be considered for addressing racism-related adversity.
黑人成年人遭受歧视对心理健康产生的不良后果，如焦虑症状，已有充分记录。先前的研究确定焦虑是黑人成年人健康状况不佳的一个风险因素。然而，大多数关于歧视与心理健康的研究都集中在个人歧视经历的影响上。此外，在研究替代性接触歧视对心理健康的影响的研究中，很少有研究从压力和应对的角度，在儿童期和青春期之外的生命阶段来考察这种关系。因此，本研究的目的是评估替代性和个人歧视经历对黑人成年人主观幸福感的影响，同时观察利用心理保健可能产生的调节作用。
从纳什维尔压力与健康研究中抽取了年龄在22 - 69岁之间的黑人成年人子样本（N = 627）进行分析，以评估组内差异。采用多元线性回归来检验主要歧视的替代性经历与自我报告的焦虑症状之间的关联。此外，我们评估了一生中心理健康服务利用情况对歧视与焦虑症状之间关系的调节作用。
研究结果显示，主要歧视的替代性经历和日常歧视的个人经历都与参与者中较高水平的焦虑症状相关。此外，一生中心理保健的利用对歧视的替代性和个人经历的影响起到了调节作用。
在评估与种族主义相关的压力经历时，必须考虑歧视的间接后果。本次调查结果表明，心理健康治疗应纳入旨在减少黑人成年人歧视负面影响的项目中。此外，应考虑采用针对特定文化的策略来应对与种族主义相关的逆境。
