title: Racial and Ethnic Differences in Mental Distress among Stroke Survivors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  African Americans, Hispanics and some Asian subgroups have a higher stroke incidence than non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). Additionally, African Americans and Hispanics have worse stroke outcomes than non-Hispanic Whites. Thus, we explored racial and ethnic differences in mental distress, a known risk factor for post-stroke disability.
  
  
  METHODS
  National Health Interview Survey data from 2000-2010 were used to identify 8,324 community dwelling adults with self-reported stroke. Serious mental distress was identified by the Kessler-6 scale. Logistic regression models assessed racial/ethnic associations with serious mental distress after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, disability, health care utilization and socioeconomic factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serious mental distress was identified in 9% of stroke survivors. Hispanics (14%) were more likely to have serious mental distress than African Americans (9%), non-Hispanic Whites (9%) and Asians (8%, P = .02). After adjustment, Hispanics (OR = 1.06, 95% CI .76-1.48) and Asians (.84, 95% Cl .37-1.90) had a similar odds of serious mental distress while African Americans had a lower odds of serious mental distress (OR = .61, 95% CI .48-.78) compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Younger age, low levels of education and insurance were important predictors of serious mental distress among Hispanics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serious mental distress is highly prevalent among US stroke survivors and is more common in Hispanics than NHWs, African Americans and Asians. Further study of the role of mental distress in ethnic differences in post-stroke disability is warranted.
authors.forename: Lesli E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Skolarus
authors.forename: Lynda D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lisabeth
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Lewis B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Morgenstern
authors.forename: Linda S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Paul N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Pfeiffer
authors.forename: Devin L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*