Williams, D. R., & Harris-Reid, M. (1999). Race and mental health: Emerging patterns and promising approaches. In A. V. Horwitz & T. L. Scheid (Eds.), A handbook for the study of mental health: Social contexts, theories, and systems (pp. 295–314). Cambridge University Press.

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the mental health status for each minority population in the US and evaluates the available scientific evidence of racial variations in mental health. Because of different research methodologies and varying criteria for identifying both mental disorder and minority status, it is difficult to generalize about these mental health differences. Studies that assess the mental health of African Americans find few differences between Blacks and Whites. The mental health picture for Hispanics is more complicated, though their rates of disorder tend to be higher than those of Whites. Given the small size and diversity of the Asian-American population, there is little conclusive data on their mental health. Finally, little is known about the mental health status of American Indians. In considering directions for future research to enhance our understanding of race and mental health, the authors emphasize the need for identifying the ways in which the mental health problems of each group emerge from the larger social context in which the group is embedded. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)