Race, Stress, and Physical Health <i>The Role</i> of <i>Group Identity</i>

Abstract

Abstract In the United States, race has long been known to be an important predictor of variations in health (Krieger, 1987). A decade ago, a major federal report summarized the evidence that indicates that, across a broad range of indicators of health status, blacks (or African Americans) experience poorer health than whites (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1985). A recent update of that report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicated that the health status gap between blacks and whites widened between 1980 and 1991 (National Center for Health Statistics, 1994). However, although much is known about the nature and magnitude of racial differences in health, the factors responsible for the elevated rates of morbidity and mortality for blacks, are not well understood (Kaufman &amp; Cooper, 1995; Williams, 1997; Williams &amp; Collins, 1995).