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Objectives: This study examined the frequency and impact of traumatic events on the mental health of older African American and Black Caribbean adults. Methods: The current study used data from the National Survey of American Life of 1,135 African American and 426 Black Caribbean adults aged 50 and older. Analysis examined the impact of traumatic events on both positive (i.e., happiness and life satisfaction) and negative (i.e., depressive symptoms, psychological distress, and 12-month anti-depressant use) domains of mental health. Results: Findings indicate that approximately 80% of older African Americans and Black Caribbeans reported experiencing a traumatic event at some point in their lifetime. Among African Americans assaultive violence was associated with more depressive symptoms, lower levels of life satisfaction, and lower levels of happiness. This was not the case among Black Caribbeans. Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary insight in mental health outcomes for older African American and Black Caribbean adults.

Objectives This study examined differences in major and everyday discrimination between African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and non-Latino White older adults. Methods Data are taken from the National Survey of American Life. Measures of major (e.g., unfairly fired and harassed by police) and everyday (e.g., treated with less courtesy, insulted, and followed in stores) discrimination were examined. Results Both African Americans and Black Caribbeans reported more major and everyday discrimination than non-Latino Whites. However, there were no significant differences between African Americans and Whites with regards to being fired, neighbors making life difficult and receiving poor service. There were no significant differences between African Americans and Black Caribbeans in major or everyday discrimination. Discussion The discussion notes the importance of examining racial as well as within group ethnic differences within the Black American population in the types of discrimination. It also notes the importance of examining indicators of both major and everyday discrimination.

This article discusses the concept of ‘double jeopardy’—being both old and black—in relation to the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on older Black adults and how the linked effects of racism and ageism shape higher risks for disease and poorer outcomes. First, we review current information on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality profiles for older Black adults. These data indicate that Black people and older adults are the two most impacted groups. Consequently, older Black adults are doubly impacted and at particularly high risk for disease and death. Following this, we discuss risk and protective profiles for coronavirus and COVID-19 in major life areas (i.e., family and household composition, social isolation and loneliness, racial residential segregation, nursing homes and congregate living arrangements, and faith communities). We use a race- and age-informed framework to identify how practices and policies associated with Black race and older age are reflected in life circumstances and resources. The double jeopardy perspective is useful for underscoring long-standing race- and age-based inequities and social vulnerabilities and their role in producing the devastating deaths and injuries experienced by older Black Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessing race- and age-based inequities and social vulnerabilities can identify important risks and protective factors and assist in developing policies and actions to protect the health of older Black Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The present study examined the impact of criminal justice contact on experiences of everyday discrimination among a national sample of African American men. African American men have a high likelihood of being the targets of major discrimination as well as experiencing disproportionate contact with the criminal justice system. Few studies, however, examine everyday discrimination (e.g., commonplace social encounters of unfair treatment) among this group. Using data from the National Survey of American Life, we provide a descriptive assessment of different types of everyday discrimination among African American men. Specifically, we examined differences in everyday discrimination among men who have never been arrested, those who have been arrested but not incarcerated, and men who have a previous history of criminal justice intervention categorized by type of incarceration experienced (i.e., reform school, detention, jail, or prison). Study findings indicated overall high levels of reported everyday discrimination, with increased likelihood and a greater number of experiences associated with more serious forms of criminal justice contact. However, in many instances, there were no or few differences in reported everyday discrimination for African American men with and without criminal justice contact, indicating comparable levels of exposure to experiences with unfair treatment.

Our study investigates racial/ethnic differences in religious non-involvement using data from three national probability surveys: 2000 Social Capital Survey, 2004 National Politics Study, and the 2007 Religious Landscape Survey. Three measures of religious involvement are investigated: service attendance, religious denomination, and religious identification. We consistently find that non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and Asian Americans are more likely than African Americans and African Caribbean Americans to identify as religiously non-involved. The central role of religion and faith communities in the lives of persons of African Americans and African Caribbeans may help explain the relatively lower levels of religious non-involvement among these groups. Other social-demographic characteristics also consistently predict religious non-involvement. Along these lines, we have fairly strong evidence that age cohort maintains a stronger relationship with rarely attending worship services among African Americans than among Hispanic and Asian Americans. That age cohort differentially maintains such relationships likely has implications for how we are to understand future growth projections for religious non-involvement in the United States.

Objectives: Examines combinations of professionals visited for a serious personal problem. Method: The sample includes those aged 55 and above ( N = 862) from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Latent class analysis was used to identify groups of respondents based on types of professionals visited. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with group membership. Results: Classes included health provider plus clergy, physician plus mental health provider, and limited provider use. Whites were more likely than African Americans to fall into the health provider plus clergy and physician plus mental health provider classes. Those with physical and emotional problems were more likely to be in the health provider plus clergy and physician plus mental health provider classes, respectively. Discussion: Most respondents were in the limited provider use class suggesting that for many problems, minimal professional help is utilized. Physicians and clergy were important across all three classes.

African American and Black Caribbean relations are described as strained. Standard portrayals of Black Caribbeans as a “model minority” that has effectively assimilated into the American landscape often make explicit their distinctiveness from and enmity toward African Americans. Analysis using National Survey of American Life data ( N = 6,082), exploring the nature and correlates of intergroup perceptions, reveals that both groups characterize their mutual relationships as being close. Gender and region of residence influence African American feelings of closeness toward Black Caribbeans, while for Black Caribbeans, perceived discrimination was significantly associated with feelings of closeness to African Americans. Black Caribbean immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries and Haiti felt closer to African Americans than did Jamaicans. In addition, foreign-born Black Caribbeans (first generation) felt closer to Black people from the Caribbean than second-generation Black Caribbeans. These and other findings are discussed in relation to research on intergroup closeness among African Americans and Black Caribbeans.

This article provides the first national estimates of the prevalence and correlates of nonfatal suicidal behavior among older Black Americans. There is a lack of national data on suicide ideation and attempts across ethnic classifications of Blacks in a nationally representative sample. Data are a subsample from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), a national U.S. adult household probability sample of 5,191 Black Americans. The WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to assess older Blacks for nonfatal suicidal behavior and 14 DSM-IV disorders. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to delineate patterns and correlates of nonfatal suicidal behavior. The estimated lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts among older Blacks in the United States was 6.1% and 2.1%, respectively. On an average it took 2.5 and 5.7 years respectively to go from ideation to attempts or from planning to attempts. Surprisingly, among older Black adults, men reported attempting suicide and seriously consider taking their own lives more than women. Older Blacks at higher risk for suicide attempts were middle aged, had poorer health, were anxious, and had multiple DSM-IV disorders. The results also show that approximately 1 in 4 attempters and 2 in 5 ideators have never sought treatment for their emotional or psychological problems. Preventative care, particularly screening in primary care settings, should consider these findings when treating older Black Americans for psychiatric-related risk.

This study examines African Americans’, Black Caribbeans’, and non-Hispanic Whites’ perceptions of closeness to other racial and ethnic groups. The study uses data from a national probability sample, the National Survey of American Life ( N = 6,082), and provides the first investigation of this topic among Black Caribbeans. Study findings reveal both similarities and significant differences between African Americans and Black Caribbeans in their levels of closeness to other groups. African Americans and Black Caribbeans were similar in their levels of closeness to Whites, American Indians, and Asian Americans. African Americans felt significantly closer to Black people in the United States than did Black Caribbeans. Conversely, Black Caribbeans felt significantly closer than African Americans to Black people from the Caribbean, Spanish-speaking people, and Black people in Africa. Non-Hispanic Whites felt significantly closer to Asian Americans than did either African Americans or Black Caribbeans. These and other findings are discussed in detail and reaffirm the continued importance of race in American life and intergroup relations.

This study examines the demographic correlates of depressive symptoms, serious psychological distress (SPD), and major depressive disorder (MDD; 12-month and lifetime prevalence) among a national sample of African American men. Analysis of the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) data set provides first-time substantiation of important demographic differences in depressive symptoms (measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale [CES-D]), SPD (measured by the K6), and 12-month and lifetime MDD among African American men. Findings illuminate the heterogeneity within the African American male population. Findings also demonstrate the need for additional research focusing on within-group differences and a comprehensive research and mental health promotion agenda that recognizes the importance of improving access to education and employment and promoting healthy coping behaviors, while acknowledging the larger social context in which African American men live.

The authors used data from the older African American subsample of the National Survey of American Life ( n = 837) to examine the sociodemographic and denominational correlates of organizational religious involvement among older African Americans. Six measures of organizational religious participation were used, including two measures of time allocation for organized religious pursuits. Significant gender, regional, marital status, and denominational differences in organizational religiosity were found. Of particular note, although older Black women generally displayed higher levels of religious participation, older Black men spent more hours per week in other activities at their places of worship. The findings are discussed in relation to prior work in the area of religious involvement among older adults. New directions for research on religious time allocation are outlined.

The present study examined differences in reports of spirituality among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks (Black Caribbeans), and non-Hispanic Whites using data from the National Survey of American Life. Bivariate analyses indicated that African Americans were most likely to endorse statements regarding the importance of spirituality in their lives (“How important is spirituality in your life?”) and self-assessments of spirituality (“How spiritual would you say you are?”), followed by Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic Whites. Regression analyses indicated that African Americans and Caribbean Blacks had significantly higher levels of spirituality than did non-Hispanic Whites. However, there were no significant differences in spirituality between African Americans and Caribbean Blacks. Separate regression analyses for African Americans and Caribbean Blacks indicated distinctive patterns of sociodemographic and denominational correlates of spiritual sentiments. Findings are discussed in relation to available survey and ethnographic data on self-assessments of spirituality.

This article investigates sociodemographic and family and church factors as correlates of support from family and church members among a representative sample of African Americans. Overall patterns of family and church support indicate that slightly more than half of respondents receive assistance from both family and church networks, one quarter receive assistance from family only, and roughly equal percentages (9%) receive help from either church members only or do not receive help from either group. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine sociodemo graphic (i.e., age, marital status, gender, region, education, income, and urbanicity) and family and church factors (i.e., family closeness, family contact, parental status, and church participation) as predictors of specific patterns and sources of support. The findings indicated significant age, gender, and marital and parental status differences in patterns of support from family and church. Perceptions of family closeness, degree of interaction with family, and overall levels of participation in church activities were associated with distinctive patterns of assistance.

This article examines the influence of sociodemographic and family, friendship, fictive kin, church, and neighbor network variables on two measures of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and happiness) among a national sample of African Americans. The analyses were conducted on the National Survey of Black Americans, a national cross-section study of the adult (age 18 and older) Black population (N = 2,107). Multivariate analyses revealed that sociodemographic (i.e., age, income, region, health, marital status, urbanicity) and social relations and network factors (i.e., subjective family closeness, support from family, number of friends, presence of fictive kin, church attendance, and frequency of contact with neighbors) were significantly associated with subjective well-being. The findings are discussed in relation to previous work on the sociodemographic, health, and social network correlates of subjective well-being.

This special issue of Health Education & Behavior is devoted to broadly examining the interconnections among public health, health education, and faith-based communities. In addition to a focus on questions related to the practice of public health and health education within religious settings (e.g., program development, implementation, and evaluation), the articles in this issue examine a broad range of both substantive and methodological questions and concerns. These articles include contributions that address (1) various theoretical and conceptual issues and frameworks explaining the relationships between religious involvement and health; (2) substantive reviews of current research in the area; (3) individual empirical studies exploring the associations between religious involvement and health attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors; (4) evaluations of health education programs in faith communities; and (5) religious institutions and their contributions to the development of health policy. The articles comprising the issue are selective in their coverage of the field and provide different and complementary perspectives on the connections between religious involvement and health. It is hoped that this approach will appeal to a broad audience of researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others from health education, public health, and related social and behavioral science disciplines.

This study examines the relationships among social support, negative interaction, financial strain, traumatic events, personal control, personality, and psychological distress among African American and white adults. These analyses: (1) test the overall adequacy of various models (i.e., main, mediator, and artifactual effects) of these effects, (2) examine the role of social support and negative interaction within the context of financial strain and traumatic events, and (3) verify possible indirect effects of social interaction on distress by assessing their impact on personal control. Data from The National Comorbidity Survey were used to examine these relationships using structural equation modeling techniques. Findings indicated different models of these relationships for African Americans and whites. Overall, personal control mediated the relationship between negative interaction and psychological distress. For whites, negative interaction was an overall stronger predictor of distress and contributed to the impact of financial strain and traumatic events on psychological distress. Among African Americans, social support was a stronger predictor of distress. The findings suggest that the underlying models of these relationships are different for African Americans and whites.

Both historically and contemporaneously, the church has had an impact upon virtually every aspect of black American life. The importance and influence of the church on the social, economic, and political development of black communities has been well documented (Drake and Cayton, 1945; Frazier, 1974; Morris, 1981; Woodson, 1939; Young, 1932). The significance of the church may be attributed largely to its position as one of the few institutions within the black