Running Head: Psychological distress among African American

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Contra Costa College

Serious Psychological distress among African American

This study is on research carried out between 2001 -2003 to determine the psychological

distress amongst African Americans. The study explores a wide range of social and economic

causes for psychological distress amid adult African Americans of the age between 18 years or

above, comprising previous imprisonment, welfare History, or having a relative who is homeless

or confined. Young people with poor health since childhood, low levels of education, and low-

income levels hence low standards of living are allied to higher intensities of distress amongst

African Americans. This article will be examining the major causes of psychological distress

from the race, gender, education level, SES, generation history, and other economic issues.

Racial or ethnic group and subgroup membership: African Americans experience

numerous risks of their mental health. From (U.S Census Bureau, 2013a) African Americans are

three times likely to live a poverty lifestyle relative to non-Hispanic whites. They also experience

unemployment levels, which are twice higher as the non-Hispanic counterparts (Austin, 2013).

Most researches are subject to race comparative analysis amid whites and blacks; the general

results of the research show that blacks experience higher levels of psychological distress,

despite the fact that there is a shortage of studies on psychological distress among black

Americans. The 23 articles published between 1973 and 1991 (Vega & Rumbat,1991) indicates

that blacks portrayed higher signs of psychological distress compared to whites.

Psychological distress among African American

Gender: From a descriptive data between 2001 to 2004, it indicates that SPD (serious

psychological distress) is experienced by female individuals who are single, middle-age (45-64),

living in poverty, and with higher levels of functional restrictions (Pratt, Dey, & Cohen ,2007).

Education level: Blacks who were less educated and living in poverty experienced serious

psychological distress notably less psychological distress was associated with people who are

55years and above, and had attained university degree, and are living directly above the poverty

line (Lincoln, Taylor, Watkins and Chatters, 2011)

SES: Recent research between 1997 to 2001 from the National Health Interview Survey,

Bratter, and Eschbach (2005) indicates that no black-white differences in non-specific

psychological distress among those of higher social, economic status (SES), but blacks at lower

SES recorded less distress compared to whites at lower SES.

Generational history: life situations such as having relatives who are homeless, and

incarceration history welfare history directly relates to psychological distress amongst adult

African American adults.

Acculturation level: due to cultural interactions number of marriage status arose, i.e., remarriage

and cohabitations. These might be used as research tools to facilitate understand predictors of

psychological distress.

References
Psychological distress among African American

1. National Research Council. (2014). The growth of incarceration in United States:

Exploring causes and consequences. Washington, DC: The National Academics Press.

Google Scholar

2. Dawne M Mouzon, Robert Joseph Taylor, Ann W Nguyen, Linda M Chatters. Journal of

Community psychology 44(6), 765-780,2016