The mental health of US Black women: the roles of social context and severe intimate partner violence

Abstract

ObjectiveBlack women continue to have rates of mental health conditions that can be negative for their well-being. This study examined the contribution of social and contextual factors and severe physical intimate partner violence on the mental health of US Black women (African-American and Caribbean Black).SettingData were largely collected via in-person community interviews at participants’ homes.ParticipantsWe studied 3277 African-American and Black Caribbean women from the 2001–2003 National Survey of American Life (NSAL), the largest and most complete sample of Blacks residing in the USA.Primary and secondary outcomesKey outcomes included an array of psychiatric disorders based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).ResultsBivariate results revealed noticeably high rates of any anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, any substance disorder, alcohol abuse disorder, suicide ideation and attempts, and any overall mental disorder among African-American women relative to Caribbean Black women. Multiple social and contextual factors were associated with various mental disorders among both sets of Black women in multivariate models, with the most consistent associations found for severe physical intimate partner violence. Everyday discrimination was associated with anxiety disorders (95% AOR=2.08 CI 1.23 to 3.51), eating disorders (95% AOR=2.69 CI 1.38 to 5.22), and any disorder (95% AOR=2.18 CI 1.40 to 3.40), while neighbourhood drug problems contributed to mood (95% AOR=1.19 CI 1.04 to 1.36), substance disorders (95% AOR=1.37 CI 1.11 to 1.69) and any disorder (95% AOR=1.18 CI 1.03 to 1.34).ConclusionsSevere physical intimate partner violence, discrimination, and to a lesser extent, neighbourhood problems are important predictors of Black women's health, findings that inform intervention and clinical services tailored to meet the needs of Black women from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Fatores associados ao uso de álcool e drogas por mulheres gestantes

“…In this context, vulnerabilities related to the use of substances can be enhanced by the existence of racial prejudice, judgment and violence. It is evident that the highest rates of violence are generally observed among married black women, which highlights gender and race inequality as a factor that increases vulnerability (12) .…”

Problemas de saúde mais comuns em mulheres negras

“…In Brazil, there is no accurate information on the prevalence of STIs in the young black population, due to the importance that a health service gives to ethnic and racial aspects, as these data can favor the development of most effective for each group public policies. 19 A study in the United States showed that women with partners who had already been arrested or incarcerated had a higher prevalence and chance of contracting sexually transmitted infections. 20 The findings reinforced the importance of programs that seek to reduce male HIV-risk behaviors and to promote care DISCUSSION https://periodicos.ufpe.br/revistas/revistaenfermagem/index engagement after release from imprisonment, highlighting the need for programs for testing and treating sexually communicable infections to incarcerated men or women or with incarcerated partners.…”

Lifetime and Twelve-Month Prevalence, Persistence, and Unmet Treatment Needs of Mood, Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders in African American and U.S. versus Foreign-Born Caribbean Women

“…In 2016, almost half of the 1.6 million Black immigrants in the U.S. came from the Caribbean countries of Jamaica and Haiti [ 11 ]. Caribbean Blacks and African-Americans have different cultural and historical colonial experiences that may portend different patterns as protective or predictive of mental health disorders [ 12 ].…”

“…For mood disorders, in addition to confirming the sometimes lower prevalence of MDD for African American versus White women [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ], studies from the NSAL found no differences in the prevalence of MDD or dysthymia for African American and Caribbean Black women [ 12 , 22 ]; African American mothers had elevated rates of bipolar disorder [ 23 ]. When nativity was considered, U.S.-born Caribbean women were found to have higher rates of any mood disorder compared to foreign-born Caribbean women [ 24 ].…”

“…When nativity was considered, U.S.-born Caribbean women were found to have higher rates of any mood disorder compared to foreign-born Caribbean women [ 24 ]. For anxiety disorders, the NSAL revealed that African American women have a higher lifetime prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to Caribbean Black women [ 12 ]; there were no ethnic differences in the prevalence of other measured anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder [ 12 , 22 , 25 ]. Foreign-born Caribbean women also had lower rates of any anxiety disorder compared U.S.-born Caribbean Black women.…”