Lifetime vicarious experiences of major discrimination and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older black adults

Abstract

Objectives

Racial disparities in later-life depression among Americans are well-documented. Perceived discrimination has been linked to depressive symptoms among aging Black adults, but little research has considered how vicarious exposure to discrimination shapes the mental health of middle-aged and older Black adults.

Methods

A subsample of Black adults aged 50–69 years (N = 273) were drawn from the Nashville Stress and Health Study. Lifetime vicarious exposures to major discrimination were assessed. Additionally, multivariate linear regression was employed to examine the association between vicarious experiences of major discrimination and depressive symptoms.

Results

Once the Black adults in the sample had reached ages 50 and older, the most common discriminatory events that they had vicariously experienced in their lifetime occurred as a result of their loved ones’ unfair interactions with law enforcement and the job market, respectively. Furthermore, our findings revealed that vicarious experiences of major discrimination were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older Black adults.

Conclusion

Vicarious, as well as personal, exposures to discrimination shape the mental health of Black Americans over the lifespan. The secondhand effects of discrimination must be considered for interventions aimed at reducing the mental health consequences of racism-related adversity as Black adults age.

Keywords:

• Vicarious racism
• perceived discrimination
• depressive symptoms
• Black Americans
• middle-aged adults
• older adults
• life course

Ethical approval statement

Informed consent was provided by every study participant. All study procedures were approved by the Vanderbilt University Institutional Review Board.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Data collection for the Nashville Stress and Health Study was supported by a grant (R01-AG034067) from the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research and the National Institute on Aging to R. Jay Turner. Support for this research was received from the Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging (RCMAR) and the National Institute on Aging (3P30AG031054-14S1).