2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

330911
Black college men's perceptions of mental health and depression: Preliminary findings from the Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) Study


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 10:50 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.

Julie Ober Allen, MPH, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Daphne C. Watkins, PhD, 3841 Sswb, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Janelle Goodwill, School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
BACKGROUND: Black college men in the United States occupy a unique social position, which can cause them to feel stereotyped, discriminated against, isolated, and overwhelmed by economic, practical, and academic demands. These pressures put them at risk for developing mental health issues.

METHODOLOGY: This paper reports the findings from a study conducted with 30 black college men who participated in the YBMen pilot project in Jackson, Michigan. We examined perceptions of mental health and depression and beliefs about how these differed for black men compared to men of other races/ethnicities. Qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques  were used to identify dominant themes from in-depth interviews, survey data, and posts in a private Facebook group.

RESULTS: Participants did not share a common definition of mental health. Depression was generally described as either an internal, often controllable mindset or as a response to stressful external circumstances or events. Men identified characteristics of depression consistent with diagnostic criteria but also emphasized male-oriented indicators such as anger, violence, irritability, substance use, and social isolation. Some men believed black men were at increased risk for depression, because they experienced more psychosocial stressors and inequities than other groups of men, while others felt that all men were alike when it came to depression.

CONCLUSIONS: Mental health promotion interventions for black college men must be: 1) targeted to address these men’s definitions of mental health and depression, 2) salient to their perceptions about the causes and symptoms of depression, and 3) relevant to their social positioning in society.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe different ways that black college men define and understand mental health and depression. Compare black college men perspectives on how race contributes to experiences of and risk factors for depression. Identify how mental health promotion interventions can be targeted to engage black college men by addressing their perceptions of the causes and symptoms of depression.

Keyword(s): Men’s Health, Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am currently a doctoral student in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan. My research focuses on how social determinants of health contribute to gender role strain and disparities in physical and mental health, with a focus on African American men. I conducted the analyses presented in this paper.
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.

Back to: 3134.0: Mental health and behavioral health gaps: under/undiagnosed illness within the African Diaspora