Spatial and Temporal Dimensions of Black-White Mental Health Paradox in the US: Effect of Cumulative Neighborhood Disadvantage

This study examines the spatial and temporal dimensions of the racial difference in depression risk using four waves (1, 3, 4, and 5) of data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 5977). While previous research has explored the Black-White mental health paradox in the United States, the combined effects of neighborhood contexts and life course trajectories remain underexplored. This study employs linear probability models to assess cumulative effects of neighborhood disadvantage (ND) and coefficient growth-curve analysis to examine age trajectories of depression probability. The findings reveal that greater exposure to ND across the life course (Waves 1-5) are associated with an increased risk of adult depression (Wave 5) for Whites but related to a slightly decreased risk for Blacks. Trajectory analysis demonstrates that residence in disadvantaged neighborhoods increases the probability of depression more rapidly as Whites age compared to Blacks. These results highlight the importance of considering life course perspectives and neighborhood contexts in understanding racial mental health disparities and the racialized embodiment of neighborhood disadvantage.