Racial discrimination and 12-month and lifetime anxiety disorders among African American men and women: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the associations between racial discrimination and 12-month and lifetime DSM-IV anxiety disorders among African American men and women.

Methods: Data was drawn from the African American sample of the National Survey of American Life (N = 3570). Racial discrimination was assessed with the Everyday Discrimination Scale. 12-month and lifetime DSM-IV outcomes were any anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and agoraphobia (AG). Logistic regressions were utilized to assess the relationships between discrimination and anxiety disorders.

Results: The data indicated that racial discrimination was associated with increased odds for 12-month and lifetime anxiety disorders, AG, and PD and lifetime SAD among men. Regarding 12-month disorders among women, racial discrimination was associated with increased odds for any anxiety disorder, PTSD, SAD, and PD. With respect to lifetime disorders among women, racial discrimination was associated with increased odds for any anxiety disorder, PTSD, GAD, SAD, and PD.

Limitations: The limitations of this study include the utilization of cross-sectional data, self-reported measures, and the exclusion of non-community dwelling individuals.

Conclusions: The current investigation showed that African American men and women are not impacted by racial discrimination in the same ways. These findings suggest that the mechanisms through which discrimination operates among men and women to influence anxiety disorders is potentially a relevant target for interventions to address gender disparities in anxiety disorders.

Keywords: Generalized anxiety disorder; Mental health; PTSD; Racism.