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Physical Limitations, Health Rumination/Worry, and Depressive Symptoms: Gender Differences among African Americans

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Abstract

Although studies have documented the relationships between physical health, health rumination/worry, and mental health, few investigations have assessed these linkages within African American communities. Using a community-based sample of residents in historically lower-income, African American communities (N = 306), this study assesses the mediating role of health rumination/worry in the physical limitation–depressive symptom relationship, and the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between health rumination/worry–depressive symptoms. Findings demonstrate that health rumination/worry explains half of the physical limitation–depressive symptom relationship, and the relationship between health rumination/worry and depressive symptoms is stronger for African American men than women. The findings underscore the importance of intersectional research for policy efforts aimed at reducing mental health morbidities within African American communities.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by FY2015 GSU/CDC Collaborative Seed Grant from Georgia State University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We would also like to thank Chandra Gallashaw, community and research team member, for her work and dedication to the larger project.

Funding

This work was supported by FY2015 GSU/CDC Collaborative Seed Grant from Georgia State University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Mathew D. Gayman, Shanae Stover, Kara Tsukerman, Karen Nielsen & Holley Wilkin

  2. Department of Sociology, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 5020, Atlanta, GA, 30302–5020, USA

    Mathew D. Gayman

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  1. Mathew D. Gayman
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Contributions

Study conception and design was performed by Mathew Gayman. Material preparation, data collection, and/or analysis were performed by Mathew Gayman, Shanae Stover, Kara Tsukerman, Karen Nielsen, and Holley Wilkin. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Mathew Gayman, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mathew D. Gayman.

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Gayman, M.D., Stover, S., Tsukerman, K. et al. Physical Limitations, Health Rumination/Worry, and Depressive Symptoms: Gender Differences among African Americans. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01721-3

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