Ethnic Differences in Separate and Additive Effects of Anxiety and Depression on Self-rated Mental Health Among Blacks.
The aim of this study was to explore ethnic differences in the separate and additive effects of anxiety and depression on self-rated mental health (SRMH) of Blacks in the USA.



With a cross-sectional design, we used data from a national household probability sample of African Americans (n = 3570) and Caribbean Blacks (n = 1621) who participated in the National Survey of American Life, 2001-2003. Demographic factors, socio-economic factors, 12-month general anxiety disorder (GAD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), and current SRMH were measured. In each ethnic group, three logistic regressions were used to assess the effects of GAD, MDD, and their combinations on SRMH.



Among African Americans, GAD and MDD had separate effects on SRMH. Among Caribbean Blacks, only MDD but not GAD had separate effect on SRMH. Among African Americans, when the combined effects of GAD and MDD were tested, GAD but not MDD was associated with SRMH.



The separate and additive effects of GAD and MDD on SRMH among Blacks depend on ethnicity. Although single-item SRMH measures are easy methods for the screening of mental health need, community-based programs that aim to meet the need for mental health services among Blacks in the USA should consider within-race ethnic differences in the applicability of such instruments.
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2700, USA. assari@umich.edu.|Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. assari@umich.edu.
Shervin
S
Assari
Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Masoumeh
M
Dejman
Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.|Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.|Program for Research on Black Americans, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Harold W
HW
Neighbors
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D001007:Anxiety; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000208:ethnology*; D017691:Caribbean Region; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D000076206:Patient Generated Health Data
Anxiety; Depression; Ethnic groups; Psychiatric disorders; Self-rated mental health