African-American Women Depression & Ethnic Identity

Depression and ethnic identity among African-American women.

Author: Settles, I., Navarrete, C. D., Polansky (Pagano), S., Abdou, C. & Sidanius, J.

Abstract

This study examines direct, interactive, and indirect effects of racial identity and depression in a sample of 379 African American women. Results indicated that higher racial private and public regard were associated with lower depression. The relationship between private regard and depression was moderated by racial centrality, such that higher private regard was more strongly related to lower depression when women’s race was a central part of their self-concept. Finally, results indicated that self-esteem fully mediated the relationship between private regard and depression and partially mediated the relationship between public regard and depression. The authors discuss the results in relation to reflected appraisal, the insulation hypothesis, and identity theory.

Conclusion

The current study of African American women sought to exam- ine three types of relationships: direct, moderated, and mediated relationships among racial centrality, private and personal racial regard, depression, and self-esteem. Using a diverse sample of African American women, we replicated and extended previously documented direct relationships between racial regard and psycho- logical well-being and highlighted the mechanistic properties of these associations. Our results support reflected appraisal theory (Cooley, 1922; Mead, 1925) and the insulation hypothesis (Bro- man et al., 1988) in that African American women’s depression was associated both with how they believe others perceive their racial group and with how they themselves perceive Black people. For private regard, this relationship was stronger for women with higher racial centrality, supporting the protective role of racial identification. Finally, we found that the relationship between private regard and depression was almost fully explicable in terms of the high self-esteem that results as a function of belonging to a group that is personally valued. In contrast, the relationship be- tween public regard and depression was only partially accounted for by self-esteem, suggesting that others’ opinions of African American women’s racial group do affect their level of depression, albeit through multiple pathways. Thus, this study points out some of the important facets of positive racial identity for the resilience of African American women, but it also underscores the continued need for greater social equality with respect to race and gender in America. Positive racial regard and identity should never be ex- pected to act as a surrogate for racial justice.

Citation

Settles, I., Navarrete, C. D., Pagano, S. J., Abdou, C. & Sidanius, J. (2010). “Depression and ethnic identity among African-American women.” Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 16(2), 248-255.

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