Relationships of choice: Can friendships or fictive kinships explain the race paradox in mental health?

Abstract

African Americans typically exhibit similar or better mental health outcomes than whites, an unexpected pattern given their disproportionate exposure to psychosocial stressors. The “race paradox in mental health” has been attributed to presumed stronger social ties among blacks but there is scarce empirical research in this regard. Using data from the 2001–2003 National Survey of American Life (N=4086), I test whether more abundant and higher quality friendships and fictive kin relationships among African Americans (if they exist) account for the race paradox in mental health. I find few race differences in the quantity and quality of friendships and fictive kinships and these differences did not explain the race paradox in mental health. Future research should investigate other potential resilience mechanisms among African Americans to explain their relatively positive mental health outcomes.