Relationships of choice: Can friendships or fictive kinships explain the race paradox in mental health?

Social Science Research

Volumn 44, Issue , 2014, Pages 32-43

  Mouzon, Dawne M ^a,b  

^a RUTGERS UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b Health Care Policy   (United States)

Author keywords

African Americans; Blacks; Depression; Friendships; Mental health; Race; Social support

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AFRICAN AMERICAN; BLACK PERSON; CAUCASIAN; COMPARATIVE STUDY; DEPRESSION; ETHNOLOGY; FEMALE; FRIEND; HEALTH SURVEY; HUMAN; MALE; MENTAL DISEASE; MENTAL HEALTH; MENTAL STRESS; MIDDLE AGED; SOCIAL SUPPORT;

ADULT; AFRICAN AMERICANS; AFRICAN CONTINENTAL ANCESTRY GROUP; DEPRESSION; EUROPEAN CONTINENTAL ANCESTRY GROUP; FEMALE; FRIENDS; HEALTH SURVEYS; HUMANS; MALE; MENTAL DISORDERS; MENTAL HEALTH; MIDDLE AGED; SOCIAL SUPPORT; STRESS, PSYCHOLOGICAL;

EID: 84888096444     PISSN: 0049089X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.10.007     Document Type: Article

References (77)

1. Ajrouch K.J., Antonucci T.C., Janevic M.R. Social networks among blacks and whites: the interaction between race and age. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 2001, 56B:S112-S118.
2. Allison P. Multiple Regression: A Primer 1999, Pine Forge Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.
3. Bagwell C.L., Bender S.E., Andreassi C.L., Kinoshita T.L., Montarello S.A., Muller J.G. Friendship quality and perceived relationship changes predict psychosocial adjustment in early adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 2005, 22:235-254.
4. Baron R.M., Kenny D.A. The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1986, 51:1173-1182.
5. Bertera E.M. Mental health in US adults: the role of positive social support and social negativity in personal relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 2005, 22:33-48.
6. Blieszner R. Friendship, Adulthood. Encyclopedia of the Life Course and Human Development 2009, vol. 3. Thomson/Gale, Farmington Hills, MI.
7. Bramlett, M.D., Mosher, W.D. 2002. Cohabitation, marriage, divorce, and remarriage in the United States. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Statistics, vol. 23, No. 22. <> http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_022.pdf.
8. Bratter J.L., Eschbach K. Race/ethnic differences in nonspecific psychological distress: evidence from the National Health Interview Survey. Social Science Quarterly 2005, 86:620-644.
9. Breslau J., Kendler K.S., Su M., Gaxiola-Aguilar S., Kessler R.C. Lifetime risk and persistence of psychiatric disorders across ethnic groups in the United States. Psychological Medicine 2005, 35:317-327.
10. Breslau J., Aguilar-Gaxiola S., Kendler K.S., Su M., Williams D., Kessler R.C. Specifying race-ethnic differences in risk for psychiatric disorder in a USA national sample. Psychological Medicine 2006, 36:57-68.
11. Broman C.L. Marital quality in black and white marriages. Journal of Family Issues 2005, 26:431-441.
12. Burr J.A., Mutchler J.E. Race and ethnic variations in norms of filial responsibility among older persons. Journal of Marriage and Family 1999, 61:674-687.
13. Cantor M.H. Neighbors and friends: an overlooked resource in the informal support system. Research on Aging 1979, 1:434-463.
14. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2008. The State of Mental Health and Aging in America (issue brief 1): What Do the Data Tell Us? National Association of Chronic Disease Directors: Atlanta, GA.
15. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2009. Births: Final Data for 2006. National Center for Health Statistics, Hyattsville, MD.
16. Chatters L.M., Taylor R.J., Jayakody R. Fictive kinship relations in black extended families. Journal of Comparative Family Studies 1994, 15:297-312.
17. Chen Y., Feeley T.H. Social support, social strain, loneliness, and well-being among older adults: an analysis of the Health and Retirement Study. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 2013, [Epub ahead of print]. 10.1177/0265407513488728.
18. Cole S.R., Kawachi I., Maller S.J., Berkman L.F. Test of item-response bias in the CES-D scale: experience from the New Have EPESE study. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2000, 53:285-289.
19. Cornwell B. Age trends in daily social contact patterns. Research on Aging 2011, 33:598-631.
20. Cornwell B., Laumann E.O., Schumm L.P. The social connectedness of older adults: a national profile. American Sociological Review 2008, 73:185-203.
21. Eaton W.W., Muntaner C. Socioeconomic stratification and mental disorder. A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Context, Theories, and Systems 1999, 259-283. Cambridge University Press, New York. A. Horwitz, T.L. Scheid (Eds.).
22. Ellison C.G. Family ties, friendships, and subjective well-being among black Americans. Journal of Marriage and Family 1990, 52:298-310.
23. Evenson R.J., Simon R.W. Clarifying the relationships between parenthood and depression. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 2005, 46:341-358.
24. Feld S., Dunkle R.E., Schroepfer T. Race/ethnicity and marital status in IADL caregiver networks. Research on Aging 2004, 26:531-558.
25. Fingerman K.L., Hay E.L., Birditt K.S. The best of ties, the worst of ties: close, problematic, and ambivalent social relationships. Journal of Marriage and Family 2004, 66:792-808.
26. Fiori K.L., Antonucci T.C., Cortina K.S. Social network typologies and mental health among older adults. Journal of Gerontology, Psychological Sciences 2006, 61B:P25-P32.
27. Grief G.L. Understanding older men and their male friendships: a comparison of African American and white men. Journal of Gerontological Social Work 2009, 52:618-632.
28. House J.S., Umberson D., Landis K.R. Structures and processes of social support. Annual Review of Sociology 1988, 14:293-318.
29. Iwata N.R., Turner R.J., Lloyd D.A. Race/ethnicity and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling young adults: a differential item functioning analysis. Psychiatry Research 2002, 110:281-289.
30. Heeringa S.G., Wagner J., Torres M., Duan N., Adams T., Berglund P. Sample designs and sampling methods for the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies (CPES). International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research 2004, 13:221-240.
31. Jackson J.S., Knight K.M. Race and self-regulatory health behaviors: the role of the stress response and the HPA axis in physical and mental health disparities. Social Structures, Aging, and Self-Regulation in the Elderly 2006, 189-239. Springer, New York. K.W. Schaie, L.L. Cartensen (Eds.).
32. Jackson J.S., Knight K.M., Rafferty J.A. Race and unhealthy behaviors: chronic stress, the HPA Axis, and physical and mental health disparities over the life course. American Journal of Public Health 2010, 100:933-939.
33. Jackson J.S., Torres M., Caldwell C.H., Neighbors H.W., Nesse R.N., Taylor R.J., Trierweiler S.J., Williams D.R. The national survey of American life: a study of racial, ethnic and cultural influences on mental disorders and mental health. The International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research 2004, 13:196-207.
34. Kawachi I., Berkman L.F. Social ties and mental health. Journal of Urban Health 2001, 78:458-467.
35. Kessler R.C., McGonagle K.A., Zhao S., Nelson C.B., Hughes M., Eshleman S., Witchen H., Kendler K.S. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Archives of General Psychiatry 1994, 51:8-19.
36. Keyes K.M., Barnes D.M., Bates L.M. Stress, coping, and depression: testing a new hypothesis in a prospectively studied general population sample of US-born whites and blacks. Social Science and Medicine 2011, 72:650-659.
37. Kiecolt K.J., Hughes M., Keith V. Race, social relationships, and mental health. Personal Relationships 2008, 15:229-245.
38. Liang J., Krause N.M., Bennett J.M. Social exchange and well-being: is giving better than receiving?. Psychology and Aging 2001, 16:511-523.
39. Lin N., Peek M.K. Social networks and mental health. A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems 1999, 241-258. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA. A.V. Horwitz, T. Scheid (Eds.).
40. Lincoln K.D. Social support, negative social interactions, and psychological well-being. Social Service Review 2000, 74:231-252.
41. Lincoln K.S., Taylor R.J., Bullard K.M., Chatters L.M., Himle J.A., Woodward A.T., Jackson J.S. Emotional support, negative interaction, and DSM-IV lifetime disorders among older African Americans: findings form the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2010, 25:612-621.
42. Litwin H. Social network type and morale in old age. The Gerontologist 2001, 41:516-524.
43. Litwin H., Shiovitz-Era S. The association of background and network type among older Americans: is "who you are" related to "who you are with?". Research on Aging 2011, 33:735-759.
44. Litwin H., Shiovitz-Era S. Social network type and subjective well-being in a national sample of older Americans. The Gerontologist 2011, 51:379-388.
45. Maton K.I. Patterns and psychological correlates of material support within a religious setting: the bidirectional support hypothesis. American Journal of Community Psychology 1987, 15:185-207.
46. Mezuk B., Rafferty J.A., Kershaw K.N., Hudson D., Abdou C.M., Lee H., Eaton W.W., Jackson J.S. Reconsidering the role of social disadvantage in physical and mental health: stressful life events, health behaviors, race, and depression. American Journal of Epidemiology 2010, 172:1238-1249.
47. Mouzon D.M. Can family relationships explain the race paradox in mental health?. Journal of Marriage and Family 2013, 75:470-485.
48. Muraco A. Intentional families: fictive kin ties between cross-gender, different sexual orientation friends. Journal of Marriage and Family 2006, 68:1313-1325.
49. Oswald R.F. Resilience within the family networks of lesbians and gay men: intentionality and redefinition. Journal of Marriage and Family 2002, 64:374-383.
50. Pew Research Center. 2011. Barely Half of US Adults are Married - A Record Low. <> http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2011/12/Marriage-Decline.pdf.
51. Rawlins W.K. Friendships in later life. Handbook of Communication and Aging Research 2004, 273-299. Lawrence Erlbaum, Associates, Mahwah, NJ. second ed. J.F. Nussbaum, J. Coupland (Eds.).
52. Read J.G., Gorman B.K. Gender inequalities in US adult health: the interplay of race and ethnicity. Social Science and Medicine 2006, 62:1045-1065.
53. Rosenfield, S., Smith, D., 2008. Race and depression: resolving contradictory findings on racial disparities. In: International Conference on Stress Research: Santa Fe, New Mexico.
54. Ryff C.D., Keyes C.L.M., Hughes D.L. Status inequalities, perceived discrimination, eudaimonic well-being: do the challenges of minority life hone purpose and growth?. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 2003, 44:275-291.
55. Schnittker J. When mental health becomes health: age and the shifting meaning of self-evaluations of general health. The Milbank Quarterly 2005, 83:397-423.
56. Shaw B.A. Anticipated support from neighbors and physical functioning during later life. Research on Aging 2005, 27:503-525.
57. Shim R.S., Ye J., Baltrus P., Fry-Johnson Y., Daniels E., Rust G. Racial/ethnic disparities, social support, and depression: examining a social determinant of mental health. Ethnicity and Disease 2012, 22:15-20.
58. Smith D.E. The standard North American family: SNAF as an ideological code. Journal of Family Issues 1993, 14:50-65.
59. Spitze G., Ward R. Gender, marriage, and expectations for personal care. Research on Aging 2000, 22:451-469.
60. Stack C.B. All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community 1974, Harper & Row, New York.
61. StataCorp. 2009. Stata Statistical Software: Release 11. StataCorp LP, College Station, TX.
62. Taylor R.J. Need for support and family involvement among black Americans: demographic and familial differences. Journal of Marriage and the Family 1990, 52:584-590.
63. Taylor R.J., Chae D.H., Chatters L.M., Lincoln K.D., Brown E. DSM-IV twelve month and lifetime major depressive disorder and romantic relationships among African Americans. Journal of Affective Disorder 2012, 142:339-342.
64. Taylor R.J., Chatters L.M. Patterns of informal support among elderly black adults: family, friends, and church members. Social Work 1986, 31:432-438.
65. Taylor R.J., Chatters L.M., Hardison C.B., Riley A. Informal social support networks and subjective well-being among African Americans. Journal of Black Psychology 2001, 27:439-463.
66. Taylor R.J., Hardison C.B., Chatters L.M. Changes over time in support network involvement among black Americans. Family Life in Black America 1997, 293-316. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA. R.J. Taylor, J.S. Jackson, L.M. Chatters (Eds.).
67. Turner R.J. Social support and coping. A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Context, Theories, and Systems 1999, 198-210. Cambridge University Press, New York. A.V. Horwitz, T.L. Scheid (Eds.).
68. U.S. Census Bureau. 2009. Educational Attainment in the United States: 2007. U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC.
69. Waite L.J. Does marriage matter?. Demography 1995, 32:483-507.
70. Walen H.R., Lachman M.E. Social support and strain from partner, family, and friends: costs and benefits for men and women in adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 2000, 17:5-30.
71. Williams D.R., Haile R., Gonzalez H.W., Baser R. The mental health of black Caribbean immigrants: results from the National Survey of American Life. American Journal of Public Health 2007, 97:52-59.
72. Williams D.R., Gonzalez H.M., Neighbors H., Nesse R., Abelson J.M., Sweetman J., Jackson J.S. Prevalence and distribution of major depressive disorder in African Americans, Caribbean blacks, and non-hispanic whites: results from the National Survey of American Life. Archives of General Psychiatry 2007, 64:305-315.
73. Williams D.R., Yu R., Jackson J.S., Anderson N.B. Racial differences in physical and mental health: socioeconomic status, stress, and discrimination. Journal of Health Psychology 1997, 2:335-351.
74. Williams D.R. The health of US racial and ethnic populations. Journal of Gerontology 2005, 60B:53-62.
75. Winship Christopher., Radbill Larry. Sampling weights and regression analysis. Sociological Methods and Research 1994, 23:230-257.
76. Zettel-Watson L., Rook K.S. Friendship, Later Life. Encyclopedia of the Life Course and Human Development 2009, vol. 3. Thomson/Gale, Farmington Hills, MI.
77. Zhang A.Y., Snowden L.R. Ethnic characteristics of mental disorders in five US communities. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 1999, 5:134-146.