Self-rated Health, Discrimination and Racial Group Identity: The Consequences of Within Group Variation Among Black Americans.

Abstract

Using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), this study examines the relationships among self-rated health, discrimination and racial group identity. Two types of discrimination are assessed: major discrimination and day-to-day discrimination. Additionally, two dimensions of racial group identity, closeness to other Blacks and Black group evaluation are explored. Specifically, I investigate whether racial group identity moderates the deleterious impact of discrimination on self-rated heath for a heterogeneous sample of Black Americans (2,963 African Americans and 1,149 Caribbean Blacks). Results show that after accounting for social and personal resources, the self-rated health of African Americans remains jeopardized by major discrimination while neither form of discrimination impacts the self-rated health of Caribbean Blacks. The evaluative aspect of racial group identity moderates the relationship between major discrimination and the self-rated health of African Americans such that, at low levels of Black group evaluation, those who report low major discrimination have higher self-rated health than those reporting high major discrimination. As levels of Black group evaluation increase, the self- rated health of those who report high major discrimination and those who report low major discrimination diverge such that, at high levels of Black group evaluation African Americans who report high major discrimination have markedly lower self-rated health. For Caribbean Blacks, the evaluative aspect of racial group identity moderates the relationship between day-to-day discrimination and the self-rated health. At low levels of Black group evaluation, Caribbean Blacks who report low day-to-day discrimination have higher self-rated health than those reporting high day-to-day discrimination. As levels of Black group evaluation increase the self- rated health of those who report high day-to-day discrimination and those who report low day-to-day discrimination diverge such that, at high levels of Black group evaluation those who report high major discrimination have markedly lower self-rated health.