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Residential segregation and Black-White differences in physical and mental health: Evidence of a health paradox?

Nicholas C Smith
Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) (2023)
Ample research finds that residential segregation is detrimental to Black Americans' physical health and exacerbates Black-White physical health disparities. However, less is known about how residential segregation may influence Black Americans' mental health and Black-White differences in mental health. Drawing on U.S. census data and a state representative study of Indiana residents (N = 2,685), I examine associations between residential segregation and multiple dimensions of physical and mental health. Consistent with past research, I find that residential segregation has an adverse association with physical health among Black respondents. In contrast, I find residential segregation to have a salubrious association with Black respondents' mental health, producing a Black mental health advantage at higher levels of segregation. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for research on residential segregation and health and the Black-White mental health paradox.
Keyphrases
  • mental health
  • mental illness
  • air pollution
  • public health
  • computed tomography
  • health information
  • cross sectional
  • climate change
  • risk assessment