Geographic Region Matters in the Relation between Perceived Racial Discrimination and Psychiatric Disorders among Black Older Adults

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Abstract

Purpose of the Study: 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. Design and Methods: 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: 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. Implications: 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.

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Kim, G., Parmelee, P., Bryant, A. N., Crowther, M. R., Park, S., Parton, J. M., & Chae, D. H. (2017). Geographic Region Matters in the Relation between Perceived Racial Discrimination and Psychiatric Disorders among Black Older Adults. Gerontologist, 57(6), 1142–1147. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw129

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