AI Article Synopsis

  • The Minorities' Diminished Return (MDR) theory suggests that minority groups, particularly Blacks, experience smaller benefits from socioeconomic status (SES) in terms of health and well-being compared to Whites.
  • A study analyzed data from 3,731 adults over ten years, focusing on how baseline education and income affected changes in positive and negative emotions, highlighting the differences between Black and White participants.
  • The findings indicated that high education led to increased income for Whites, which positively affected their mental well-being, while Blacks did not experience the same benefits, pointing to systemic factors like structural racism that limit their mental health improvements from SES.

Article Abstract

Background: The Minorities’ Diminished Return (MDR) theory is defined as systematically smaller effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on the health and well-being of minority groups when compared to Whites. To extend the existing literature on the MDR theory as applied to the change of mental well-being over time, we investigated Black-White differences in the effects of baseline education and income on subsequent changes in positive and negative affect over a ten-year period.

Methods: The Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) is a 10-year longitudinal study of American adults. This analysis followed 3731 adults who were either Whites ( = 3596) or Blacks ( = 135) for 10 years. Education and income, as measured at baseline and 10 years later, were the independent variables. Negative and positive affect, measured at baseline and over ten years of follow up, were the dependent variables. Covariates were age, gender, and physical health (body mass index, self-rated health, and chronic medical conditions), measured at baseline. Race was the focal moderator. We ran multi-group structural equation modeling in the overall sample, with race defining the groups.

Results: High education at baseline was associated with an increase in income over the 10-year follow up period for Whites but not Blacks. An increase in income during the follow up period was associated with an increase in the positive affect over time for Whites but not Blacks.

Conclusion: The MDR theory is also relevant to the effects of baseline education attainment on subsequent changes in income and then in turn on positive affect over time. The relative disadvantage of Blacks in comparison to Whites in receiving mental health gains from SES may reflect structural racism and discrimination in the United States. There is a need for additional research on specific societal barriers that minimize Blacks’ mental health gains from their SES resources, such as education and income. There is also a need for policies and programs that help Blacks to leverage their SES resources.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6070982PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/brainsci8070122DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

education income
16
mdr theory
12
measured baseline
12
positive affect
12
whites blacks
8
effects baseline
8
baseline education
8
subsequent changes
8
united states
8
associated increase
8

Similar Publications

Background: Racial inequities in pregnancy outcomes persist despite investments in clinical, educational, and behavioral interventions, indicating that a new approach is needed to address the root causes of health disparities. Guaranteed income during pregnancy has the potential to narrow racial health inequities for birthing people and infants by alleviating financial stress.

Objective: We describe community-driven formative research to design the first pregnancy-guaranteed income program in the United States-the Abundant Birth Project (ABP).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Teachers are pivotal in shaping educational environments and student development but face significant occupational stress and high rates of mental problems. Despite the availability of various psychosocial interventions, comprehensive evidence of their effectiveness and implementation is limited for this occupational group, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This mixed methods study aims to conduct a scoping review of characteristics, effectiveness, and implementation outcomes of psychosocial interventions for teachers' mental health and mental problems, integrating these with teachers' lived experiences to inform the implementation of mental health interventions in LMICs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Research has increasingly explored maternal resilience or protective factors that enable women to achieve healthier maternal and child outcomes. However, it has not adequately examined maternal resilience using a culturally-relevant, socio-ecological lens or how it may be influenced by early-life stressors and resources. The current study contributes to the literature on maternal resilience by qualitatively exploring the salient multi-level stressors and resources experienced over the lifecourse by predominantly low-income and minoritized women.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Caregivers of children with asthma can become overwhelmed by the burden of care provision. Guided by the socioecological framework, we examined individual and system-level factors associated with caregiver health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among preschool children (aged two to six years) enrolled in a multilevel home- and school-based asthma educational intervention in Baltimore, Maryland. Primary outcome was caregiver HRQoL measured at baseline and six months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!