Background: Socioeconomic disadvantage (SD) and ethnic/racial discrimination (ERD) affect individuals’ mental and physical health and are associated with a host of adverse health outcomes. More longitudinal research is needed to document the intersection of SD and ERD in relation to health over time.

Objectives: To examine the joint longitudinal trajectories of SD and ERD and their relationships to health outcomes in the late 30s in a sample of African American and Latinx participants.

Methods: Participants (n=674; 53% African American; 60% female) were interviewed at mean ages 19, 24, 29, 32 and 36. We used a growth mixture model to identify dual trajectories of SD and ERD between age 24 and 36 to predict trajectory group membership for multiple health outcomes.

Results: Four joint trajectory groups were identified: high SD and high ERD (HH; 22.7%), high SD and low ERD (HL; 18.2%), low SD and high ERD (LH; 20.5%), and low SD and low ERD (LL; 38.6%). Compared to the LL group, the HH group reported poorer self-rated health, respiratory symptoms, and cognitive challenges and greater levels of insomnia, bodily pain, depression and anxiety. The LH group reported more respiratory symptoms and insomnia than the LL group.

Conclusions: The combination of SD and ERD during young adulthood is related to adverse health outcomes in the late thirties. The fact that higher levels of ERD in the context of lower SD (LH) also predicted poorer health, compared to the LL group, underscores the profound effect of ERD on health.