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Psychosocial stress and social support as mediators of relationships between income, length of residence and depressive symptoms among African American women on Detroit's eastside

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  • Schulz, Amy J.
  • Israel, Barbara A.
  • Zenk, Shannon N.
  • Parker, Edith A.
  • Lichtenstein, Richard
  • Shellman-Weir, Sheryl
  • A.B., Laura Klem

Abstract

Patterns of mental health are clearly associated with life circumstances, including educational and economic opportunities, access to safe and supportive neighborhoods, socially structured exposures to stressors and to supportive relationships. In this article, we examine the social and economic correlates of depressive symptoms among African American women residing within a predominantly African American urban neighborhood in Detroit, USA, with relatively few economic resources. We identify distinct stressors associated with financial strain, neighborhood social disorder (concern about police responsiveness, safety stress), and experiences of discrimination. We test the extent to which each of these stressors mediates relationships between household income, length of residence in the neighborhood, social support and depressive symptoms. Our results suggest that for women in this racially segregated area with a high concentration of poverty, relationships between household income and symptoms of depression are partially mediated by financial stress and social support, but that stressors associated with neighborhood disorder and discrimination influence depressive symptoms independent of household income. Furthermore, we find that length of residence in the neighborhood is negatively associated with financial stress and positively associated with police stress and social support, with no significant net effect on symptoms of depression. We conclude that higher household income may help reduce symptoms of depression by reducing financial stress and strengthening social support even within neighborhoods with high concentrations of poverty. However, increased household income does not protect African American women residing in a high poverty community from distress associated with neighborhood disorder or experiences of discrimination.

Suggested Citation

  • Schulz, Amy J. & Israel, Barbara A. & Zenk, Shannon N. & Parker, Edith A. & Lichtenstein, Richard & Shellman-Weir, Sheryl & A.B., Laura Klem, 2006. "Psychosocial stress and social support as mediators of relationships between income, length of residence and depressive symptoms among African American women on Detroit's eastside," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 510-522, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:62:y:2006:i:2:p:510-522
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    9. Mickelson, Kristin D. & Demmings, Jessica L., 2009. "The impact of support network substitution on low-income women's health: Are minor children beneficial substitutes?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 80-88, January.
    10. Jens Hoebel & Ulrike E Maske & Hajo Zeeb & Thomas Lampert, 2017. "Social Inequalities and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: The Role of Objective and Subjective Socioeconomic Status," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(1), pages 1-18, January.
    11. Wencong Cai & Yuanjie Deng & Qiangqiang Zhang & Haiyu Yang & Xuexi Huo, 2021. "Does Income Inequality Impair Health? Evidence from Rural China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, March.
    12. O'Brien, Daniel T. & Farrell, Chelsea & Welsh, Brandon C., 2019. "Broken (windows) theory: A meta-analysis of the evidence for the pathways from neighborhood disorder to resident health outcomes and behaviors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 272-292.
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    14. Mathew D Gayman & Ben Lennox Kail & Amy Spring & George R GreenidgeJr, 2018. "Risk and Protective Factors for Depressive Symptoms Among African American Men: An Application of the Stress Process Model," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(2), pages 219-229.
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