Geographic Region Matters in the Relation Between Perceived Racial Discrimination and Psychiatric Disorders Among Black Older Adults

This study examined whether the relation between perceived racial discrimination and psychiatric disorders varied by large geographic region among Black older adults in the United States. Black adults aged 55 or older who had experienced racial/ethnic-specific discrimination were drawn from the Nati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Gerontologist 2017-12, Vol.57 (6), p.1142-1147
Main Authors: Kim, Giyeon, Parmelee, Patricia, Bryant, Ami N, Crowther, Martha R, Park, Soohyun, Parton, Jason M, Chae, David H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Black or African American - psychology
Black people
Ethnicity
Female
Geriatric psychiatry
Humans
Male
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - ethnology
Mental Disorders - psychology
Mental health
Mental Health - ethnology
Middle Aged
Older people
Psychiatric-mental health nursing
Psychiatry
Racial discrimination
Racism - ethnology
Racism - prevention & control
Racism - psychology
Regression analysis
Risk Factors
Social Perception
Socioeconomic Factors
United States - epidemiology
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Summary:This study examined whether the relation between perceived racial discrimination and psychiatric disorders varied by large geographic region among Black older adults in the United States. Black adults aged 55 or older who had experienced racial/ethnic-specific discrimination were drawn from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine main and interaction effects. Results show that there was a significant main effect of perceived racial discrimination, indicating that greater perceived discrimination was significantly associated with increased odds of having any past-year psychiatric disorder. The interaction of region by perceived racial discrimination was significant: The effect of perceived racial discrimination on any past-year psychiatric disorder was stronger among Blacks in the West than those in the South. Findings suggest that whereas, in general, perceived racial discrimination is a risk factor for poor mental health among older Blacks, this association may differ by geographic region. Additional research examining reasons for this variation is needed.
ISSN:0016-9013
1758-5341
DOI:10.1093/geront/gnw129