Discrimination, attribution, and racial group identification: implications for psychological distress among Black Americans in the National Survey of American Life (2001-2003).

Discrimination, attribution, and racial group identification: implications for psychological distress among Black Americans in the National Survey of American Life (2001-2003). Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2011 Oct;81(4):498-506 Authors: Chae DH, Lincoln KD, Jackson JS Abstract There is increasing evidence that experiencing discrimination may contribute to poor mental health among Black Americans. However, few studies have distinguished between discrimination attributed to race versus other forms of discrimination or have compared differences in their psychological implications. Using nationally representative data on 5,191 Black Americans in the National Survey of American Life (NSAL; 2001-2003), this study examined serious psychological distress (SPD) in relation to discrimination attributed to racial versus nonracial causes and also investigated whether racial group identification may be a buffer. We found that discrimination was associated with greater odds of SPD, regardless of attribution. Racial attributions were associated with higher odds of SPD compared with attributions to nonracial causes for each level of discrimination. High racial group identification buffered the negative effect of moderate levels of both racially and nonracially attributed discrimination. Our results provide evidence for the negative influence of discrimination on SPD among Black Americans and indicate that high racial group identification may somewhat mitigate their...
Source: The American journal of Orthopsychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Am J Orthopsychiatry Source Type: research