Does Spousal Support Moderate the Association Between Perceived Racial Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms among African American Couples?

• Published in: Family process 2014-03, Vol.53 (1), p.109-119
• Main Authors: McNeil, Sharde' N., Fincham, Frank D., Beach, Steven R. H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjustment; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; African American; African Americans; African Americans - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Couple and family; Couples; Depression; Depression (Psychology); Depression - ethnology; Depression - prevention & control; Discrimination; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heterosexuality; Humans; Male; Males; Medical sciences; Mental health; Mood disorders; Prediction; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Racial discrimination; Racism; Racism - psychology; Social Problems; Social psychology; Social Support; Southeastern United States; Spousal Support; Spouses - psychology; Stress; Stress, Psychological - prevention & control; Stressors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcomes; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0014-7370; 1545-5300
• DOI: 10.1111/famp.12054

Social stress theory proposes that stress resulting from one's social position in society leads to fewer coping resources, and subsequently causes an increase in mental health problems. Guided by this framework, we investigated whether the relationship between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms was moderated by spousal social support in a sample of 487 African American heterosexual couples. Using the actor‐partner interdependence model, findings suggested that female partner's perceived racial discrimination was predictive of her depressive symptomology irrespective of spousal support and male partner's perceived racial discrimination was predictive of depressive symptomology only among men with low levels of spousal support. No partner effects were present. The results demonstrate the need to examine variability in social stress and mental health outcomes for those in close relationships. 摘要 社会压力理论认为源于社会地位的压力会导致处置手段匮乏,并随后令精神健康问题增加。在此框架指导下,我们以487对非洲裔美国异性夫妇作为样本考察了歧视感与抑郁症间关系是否受到配偶社会支持的调节。结果表明,无论有无配偶支持,女性配偶的种族歧视感预测了她的抑郁症状;而男性配偶的种族歧视感仅预测配偶支持度低的男性的抑郁症状。配偶效应未出现。结果表明有必要考察社会压力的易变性以及处于亲密关系中人群的精神健康结果。 Resumen La teoría sobre el estrés social propone que el estrés resultante de la posición social de una persona en la sociedad conduce al desarrollo de menos recursos de afrontamiento y ulteriormente produce un aumento de los problemas de salud mental. Guiados por este marco, investigamos si la relación entre la discriminación percibida y los síntomas depresivos estuvo moderada por el apoyo social conyugal en una muestra de 487 parejas heterosexuales afroamericanas. Utilizando el modelo de interdependencia actor‐pareja, los resultados sugirieron que la discriminación racial percibida de la pareja femenina predijo su sintomatología depresiva independientemente del apoyo conyugal recibido y que la discriminación racial percibida de la pareja masculina predijo la sintomatología depresiva solo entre los hombres con niveles bajos de apoyo conyugal. No hubo efectos en los integrantes de las parejas. Los resultados demuestran la necesidad de examinar la variabilidad de los resultados relacionados con el estrés social y la salud mental para aquellas personas que tienen relaciones estrechas.