Unemployment, depression, and health: a look at the African-American community

Objectives-While the unemployment rate of African-American people is more t han twice that of the white population, the research on the impact of unemp loyment on the health of this population is scarce. This study analysed the impact of unemployment on depression and well being among African-American people, and the factors associated with well being. Methods-Logistic and multiple regression models were used to analyse panel data collected in the National Survey of Families and Households 1987-1992. African-American (1369) and white (6660) respondents were analysed separat ely. Outcome variables included an index of depression and self reported he alth status. Main findings-Differences between employment and unemployment groups were l ess significant for African-Americans than for the white population in pred icting depression and well being. Health enhancing factors such as educatio n and wealth were significantly associated with better health and lower dep ression indices among the white population but not consistently so among Af rican-Americans. Satisfaction with personal relationships was the-strongest predictor of well being for both groups. Conclusion-Research should focus on the special needs and circumstances of African-Americans, because protective factors may not have the same impact in different groups of the population.