245128 Effects of racial discrimination, racial identity, and stress on physical health and mental health outcomes for African American women living in high-poverty neighborhoods

Sunday, October 30, 2011: 4:34 PM

Gabrielle Smith , Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Debra M. McCallum , The Institute for Social Science Research, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
John M. Bolland , Child Development Research Center, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Research shows that racial discrimination can be detrimental to the health and well-being of the targets of discrimination, but some research suggests that a well-developed sense of racial identity may provide a buffer against these negative effects. Stress in various forms also has a negative impact on well-being regardless of racial background. This paper explores relationships among racial identity, experiences of discrimination, stressors, and physical and mental health outcomes for underclass African American women living in urban neighborhoods.

Interviews were conducted with 600 adult African American women living in high-poverty neighborhoods in a mid-sized city. Conducted in respondents' homes, the interviews covered a wide range of social, family, neighborhood, psychological, and health topics.

Correlations show negative relationships between psychological symptoms and satisfaction with life, satisfaction with work, racial identity and neighborhood social support. Positive correlations exist between psychological symptoms and experiences with discrimination, financial stress and life events. Regression analyses revealed satisfaction with work and experience with discrimination as significant predictors of psychological symptoms, with marginal significance for racial identity. Additional analyses to assess mediators and moderators of these relationships are being conducted with physical health indicators and mental health symptoms.

These results show that experiences with racial discrimination are related to negative psychological outcomes in this population of low-income African American women, while positive racial identity and neighborhood social support may buffer some of the effects of discrimination. The results will extend previous findings, which examine the health effects of discrimination primarily for middle and working class African Americans.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Epidemiology
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Attendees will be able to describe the relationships among racial identity, experiences of discrimination, and life stressors, and their impact on physical and mental health outcomes among urban, low-SES African American women. Attendees will be able to discuss the role of racial identity for low-income African American women as a potential buffer for the negative effects of discrimination on physical and mental health and satisfaction with life and work.

Keywords: African American, Adult Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an unbiased student in social psychology focused on decreasing gaps in health disparities among minority populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: African American Women: Being Comfortable in the Skin you are in
See more of: Black Caucus of Health Workers