The Cumulative Influence of Perceived Discrimination, Stress, and Coping Responses on Symptoms of Depression Among Young African American Mothers.
Eugenia Millender, Rachel M Harris, Jessica R Bagneris and 5 others
PMID 35833679WHAT IT FOUND
For young African American mothers, higher stress, avoidance coping, and passive responses to discrimination predicted more depressive symptoms.
Problem-solving and support-seeking did not. Screening should assess how women cope with discrimination, not just the presence of depression.
Key findings
01Perceived racial discrimination, stress, and avoidance coping were significant predictors of depressive symptoms in the final model.
02Passive coping in response to discrimination was associated with higher depression scores compared to active or mixed coping.
03Problem-solving and support-seeking coping strategies were not associated with depressive symptoms in this sample.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The data were cross-sectional, so the study cannot prove that discrimination or coping styles cause depression; it only shows they are linked. The sample was homogeneous in age, income, and education, which limits how well the results apply to other groups of African American women. Important protective factors like social support and racial identity were not measured. The measure used to assess coping specifically related to discrimination had limited validity evidence.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of significance for problem-solving and support-seeking as evidence that these strategies are useless. The study found they were not predictors in this specific model, but this does not mean they do not help reduce stress or improve well-being in other contexts.