It now appears that demographic factors play a crucial role in the mental status of black men. In a major breakthrough, investigators found that demographic factors affect mental health concerns among black men. Claimed to be a novel study, the findings reveal that advanced age is associated with better mental health.
While conducting the study, data from 1,271 African American men of the National Survey of American Life: Coping with Stress in the 21st Century was analyzed. Three types of mental health issues namely depressive symptoms, serious psychological distress and major depressive disorders were scrutinized among black men. One out of 20 respondents allegedly suffered from a major depressive disorder during the previous 12-month period and almost 10 percent had the disorder at some point of their lives.
Not more than 3 percent of men reported the presence of serious psychological distress and 6 percent had significant levels of depressive symptoms. On an average, these prevalence rates appeared comparatively low as compared to non-Hispanic whites. During the study, it was observed that older men possibly had fewer depressive symptoms, lower levels of psychological distress and lower odds of having 12-month major depressive disorder than their younger counterparts. Well, experts also mention that lower socioeconomic position leads to poorer mental health status.
Even married men and Southerners were found to face lower chances of 12-month and lifetime major depressive disorder than men in the North Central region and those who were previously married, separated, widowed or divorced. Robert Joseph Taylor, the Sheila Feld Collegiate Professor of Social Work and colleagues share that demographic differences indicate that life circumstances are meaningful for the mental health of black men.
The study is published in Research on Social Work Practice.