Are There Regional Differences in Mental Health among Black Americans? An Exploration of Explanatory Mechanisms.

Using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) (2001-2003), we examine regional differences in past-year anxiety disorder and past-year major depressive episodes among a geographically diverse sample of Black Americans (N = 3,672). We find that Black Americans residing in the South experience a mental health advantage over Black Americans living in other parts of the country, experiencing lower rates of both anxiety disorder and past-year major depression. We also examine the extent to which stress exposure, religious involvement, and neighborhood contexts help explain any regional differences.

A population-based descriptive study of neonatal abstinence syndrome using hospital discharge and birth certificate data.

Background: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), largely a consequence of prenatal opioid exposure, results in substantial morbidity. Population-based studies of NAS going beyond Medicaid populations and hospital discharge data (HDD) alone are limited. Using statewide Tennessee (TN) HDD and birth certificate (BC) data, we examined trends and evaluated maternal and infant factors associated with NAS.

Is the Black-White mental health paradox consistent across age, gender, and psychiatric disorders?

Objectives: The Black-White mental health epidemiological paradox (i.e. Black Americans' lower or similar rates of mental disorder relative to Whites) characterizes the literature on race and mental health.