Race differences in psychological distress: the effects of SES, urbanicity, and measurement strategy

Studies of race differences in psychological distress show that controls for demographic variables typically attenuate or reverse race differences. Variability in findings is interpreted in terms of the urbanicity of the population studied, the distress dimension considered, and measurement focus upon "presence" or "persistence" of symptoms. Data from 826 Florida residents indicated that race differences in urban and rural samples were generally attenuated by adjustments for SES and age. However, blacks reported significantly more persistent depressive symptoms after adjustment in the rural sample. Implications of these findings for future research on race differences in psychological distress are considered.