A Comparative Exploration of Depressive Symptomatology among Black and White Collegiate Women

Author Information

Buffie Longmire-Avital, Elon UniversityFollow

Conference Strand

Research and Theory

Abstract

Minimal research on depression exists that considers the intersection of race and gender during emerging adulthood, a period of life known to have unique stressors and intensive social identity development. This comparative study found that Black females reported greater amounts of depressive symptomatology (M = 24.61) compared to White females (M = 15.68), (F (1,377) = 61.434, p < .001).

Description

Depression is closely linked to the level of stress that an individual perceives and experiences in their daily life. Continuous, often referred to as chronic, stress can cause a variety of physical and mental health problems, including depression. Higher rates of depression have been found amongst women, emerging adults, and racial minorities. Thus, when studying depression, we also must consider the specific stressors that may trigger or worsen depression for various demographic groups. The purpose of this study is to explore racial differences and other contributing factors in the prevalence of clinical depression for emerging adult women that are enrolled in a college or university. Little is known about the racial disparities in mental health specifically for this age group, but the unique stressors associated with this developmental stage of life necessitate their own body of research. Three hundred and sixty-nine self-identified emerging adult Black and White women (M_age = 19.67, SD = 11.751). completed an online survey during a 3-year time period. All participants were currently attending a four-year college or university. The racial breakdown of the sample was 61% self-identified White females (n = 234) and 39% self-identified Black females (n = 149). Black collegiate women reported significantly higher levels of perceived stress and symptoms of depression in comparison to White collegiate women. Chi-Squared analyses revealed that where 1 in 5 White females in the current sample met criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, an alarming 1 in 2 Black females met criteria for MDD. Given that race is a social construction with no biological merit, this finding calls attention to the contextual sociological factors that are contributing to the development of the depression instead of the just individual biological causes.

Evidence

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Tables and Graphs

Table 1. Self-reported sample Sociodemographics for Undergraduate Women (N=383)

Black (n=149)

White (n=234)

n

%

n

%

Class Year

First year/Freshman

18

12.1

100

42.7

Second year/Sophomore

22

14.8

52

22.2

Third year/Junior

48

32.3

48

20.5

Fourth year/Senior

55

36.9

33

14.1

Fifth year or beyond

6

4

1

.4

Employment

Work full time

11

7.4

*

*

Work part time

11

7.4

2

.9

Work part-time and full time student

69

46.3

75

32.1

Unemployed and student

58

38.9

157

67.1

Meets criteria for MDD

No

71

47.7

180

78.3

Yes

78

52.3

50

21.7

Meets criteria for Dysthymia

No

64

43

164

71.3

Yes

85

57

66

28.7

*Indicates Missing Data

Table 2.

Correlates and Means of Sociodemographic and Psychosocial Variables for Undergraduate Women (N = 383)

1.

2.

3.

1. Depressive Symptomatology

2. Perceived Stress

.778**

3. Age

.184**

.125*

*p < .05, **p < .01

Black_M

24.61

18.71

20.43

Black_SD

12.327

6.574

1.575

Black_Skew

.249

-.029

.587

White_M

15.68

15.53

19.18

White_SD

9.755

6.378

1.169

White_Skew

.755

.496

.544

Format

Individual Presentations

Biographical Sketch

Buffie Longmire-Avital, Ph.D – is an Associate Professor of Psychology and the coordinator of the African, African-American Studies program at Elon University. Dr. Longmire-Avital received her Bachelors of Science degree from Lafayette College and her Doctoral degree in Applied Developmental Psychology from New York University’s Steinhardt School for the Study of Culture, Education and Human Development. She received a NIDA-funded post-doctoral fellowship to train at both the National Development Research Institutes and the Center for HIV/AIDS Education, Studies and Training affiliated with Hunter College. Dr. Longmire-Avital’s numerous scholarly articles reflect her primary research focus, which is on the psychosocial development and health behaviors of emerging adult Black American females. Specifically, she examines sexual health communication strategies and the relationships between chronic race-related stress, depression, and eating habits.

Location

Room 212

Start Date

2-17-2017 10:45 AM

End Date

2-17-2017 12:00 PM

Recommended Citation

Longmire-Avital, Buffie, "A Comparative Exploration of Depressive Symptomatology among Black and White Collegiate Women" (2017). National Cross-Cultural Counseling and Education Conference for Research, Action, and Change. 2.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ccec/2017/2017/2