title: Social resistance framework for understanding high-risk behavior among nondominant minorities: preliminary evidence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The recently developed social resistance framework addresses a widespread pattern in which members of some nondominant minorities tend to engage in various risky and unhealthy behaviors more than the majority group. This pilot study tested the core hypotheses derived from this innovative framework.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted in 2011 a nationally representative Web-based survey of 200 members of a nondominant minority group (African Americans) and 200 members of a majority group (Whites).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The preliminary findings supported the main premises of the framework and suggested that nondominant minorities who felt discriminated and alienated from society tended also to have higher levels of social resistance. Those with higher levels of social resistance also engaged more in risky and unhealthy behaviors-smoking, drinking, and nonuse of seat belts-than did those with lower levels of social resistance. These associations were not found in the majority group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary results supported the framework and suggested that social resistance might play a meaningful role in risky and unhealthy behaviors of nondominant minorities, and should be taken into account when trying to reduce health disparities.
authors.affiliation: Roni Factor is with the School of Criminology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. David R. Williams is with the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health and the Department of African and African-American Studies, Harvard University, Boston, MA. Ichiro Kawachi is with the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University.
authors.forename: Roni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Factor
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawachi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012309:Risk-Taking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D044465:White People; D055815:Young Adult