Socioeconomic Status

Socioeconomic status plays a major role in the prevalence of depression and anxiety as well as the utilization of mental health services in the black female community. It is important to note that the four general indicators of SES are race/ethnicity, occupation, income and educational attainment; the latter is considered to be the predominant determinant of health in the United States. Aside from education, social scientists have analyzed other elements that explain the causal relationship between SES and the likelihood of developing mental disorders. For women of the black diaspora, neighborhood SES, negative self-perception and education are aspects of socioeconomic status linked to mental health outcomes.
Neighborhood status is a strong

According to Gazmararian and fellow social scientists, black women are two times as likely to suffer from depression than their white counterparts, regardless of SES (1995). In addition, this racial group is three times as likely to be low-income with less years of education. Notably, even though black women of low SES backgrounds share a higher risk of developing mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, there is also a substantial concentration of risk present in high SES populations of the same racial identity (Gazmararian et al. 1995). An inverse relationship does exist between SES and prevalence of depression for black and white women, yet for females of the Black diaspora, the declining rates are not as pronounced as one achieves economic and educational success. Assimilation, care giving responsibilities and racism are three explanations for the predominance of depression in African-American females of high SES. (Gazmararian et al.

In other words, socioeconomic status serves as an impediment to seeking out clinical care for mental disorders. The mental health of low SES individuals is more negatively impacted with lack of utilization. Educational attainment, marital status, and accessibility of financial resources are the main factors that contribute to this disparity (Thurston & Phares 2008). Since many ethnic minorities tend to be of lower SES, they experience a higher likelihood of underutilization of mental health services. With that being said, the specific barriers that inhibit African-Americans from receiving medical attention for mental illnesses are as follows: accessibility, availability, acceptability and accountability (Thurston & Phares 2008). The first two obstacles stem from socioeconomic circumstances, while the remaining are facets of individual determinants. Accessibility refers to the cost of mental health services; availability indicates the number and quality of options that is economically feasible for an