Redlining, gentrification, and Black American mental health: A scoping review

Racialized housing discrimination has important implications for the mental health of Black American populations. This scoping review, conducted from May to December 2022, summarized key definitions and measurement approaches relevant to redlining and gentrification and their impact on the mental health of Black adults in the United States. Interdisciplinary research databases were searched (PudMed, SCOPUS, Sociological Abstracts, PsycINFO), and a two-stage review of articles was conducted in Covidence. Our review identified 21 articles, including quantitative (n=11) and qualitative (n=10) studies. There was significant variability in how redlining and gentrification exposures were conceptualized and operationalized across the literature. Most studies (57%) reported associations between discriminatory housing practices and mental health-related problems among Black American adults. Redlining was found to produce housing contexts and conditions involving environmental stressors for Black residents. Similarly, gentrification had an impact on housing consistency and housing costs. Expanding research on redlining and gentrification will help advance our understanding of policies and practices needed to address and alleviate ongoing racial mental health disparities in the United States.