Revisiting the Black-White Mental Health Paradox During the Coronavirus Pandemic

• Published in: Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities Vol. 10; no. 6; pp. 2802 - 2815
• Main Authors: LaMotte, Megan E., Elliott, Marta, Mouzon, Dawne M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.12.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; African Americans; Black or African American - psychology; Coping; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Epidemiology; Group identity; Health disparities; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Health; Pandemics; Paradoxes; Police; Police brutality; Polls & surveys; Quality of Life Research; Race; Racial discrimination; Racial identity; Racism; Self esteem; Social Inequality; Social Structure; Stress; Surveys; Well being; White - psychology; Disparities; Coping resources; Stressors; Race; Mental health
• ISSN: 2197-3792; 2196-8837
• DOI: 10.1007/s40615-022-01457-6

Black Americans have lower rates of depression and anxiety than Whites, despite greater exposure to stressors known to negatively impact mental health, characterized as the Black-White mental health paradox. This study revisited the paradox during the coronavirus pandemic. Drawing on stress process theory, minority stress theory, and the rejection-identification model of discrimination, in-group identity, and well-being, we analyzed original survey data from a quota sample of African American and White adults ( N  = 594). The survey included a range of stressors and coping resources, including those relevant to the pandemic (e.g., COVID-19 illness) and race (e.g., witnessing anti-Black police violence). Results indicate that despite African Americans’ greater exposure and vulnerability to racial discrimination, the Black-White mental health paradox holds, owing in part to protective effects of African American’s higher self-esteem. Directions for future exploration of the paradox are presented based on this study’s findings.