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Interrelation of Race, Immigration, Culture, and Ethnicity Not Straightforward  The idea of “race” has both biological and social components, but the genes that produce the visible traits that are used to classify people have little to do with the origins of illness, said James Jackson, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Social Research and a professor of psychology and health behavior and health education in the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. Jackson was presented with APA’s Solomon Carter Fuller Award at its 2012 annual meeting in Philadelphia. The award honors a black citizen who has pioneered an area that has significantly benefited the quality of life for black people. Jackson’s work seeks to explore the interrelation of race, immigration, culture, and ethnicity. For instance, he finds that among African Americans, women have a higher 12-month prevalence of a mood disorder than men do. However, among Caribbean Americans, the rates vary by gender, place of birth, and time of immigration to the United States. Black Caribbean men who were born in the United States or who had immigrated within the 10 years prior to the survey had higher rates of mood disorders than women, but among those who had immigrated 11 or more years before, women had a sharply higher rate. “That’s one indication that Afro-Caribbeans may share race but not ethnicity,” said Jackson. “First-generation health protection may not be an adequate explanation for differences in mental health.” In short, he said, the influences of race, immigration, culture, and ethnicity are complex, multifaceted, and impacted by social, economic, and educational status across the course of life. |
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