The Moderating Role of Educational Attainment in the Association Between Social Support and Depressive Symptoms Among African Americans

Abstract

General social support is commonly studied as a psychosocial resource that improves African Americans’ well-being; we know less about how varied indicators of social support influence African Americans’ depressive symptoms. Further, it is unclear how social support affects depressive symptoms differently when considering the moderating role of education. Using the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) (n = 3,278), we examined (1) the association between educational attainment and depressive symptoms, (2) the association between social support and depressive symptoms, and (3) whether education moderates the social support—depressive symptoms relationship among African Americans. Results revealed that higher educational attainment; emotional support from family, friends, and church members; and receiving instrumental support from family were associated with lower depressive symptoms. Receiving instrumental support from church members and providing instrumental support to friends were associated with higher depressive symptoms. Finally, educational attainment moderated the association between five indicators of social support, such that individuals with some college education or degrees psychologically benefitted while those with a high school education or less generally did not. Findings highlight ongoing disadvantages for African Americans with less formal education and suggest that psychological benefits of social support are elusive for the most educationally disadvantaged African Americans.