Mental Health Across the Life Course

The objective of this dissertation is to examine mental health issues and disparities at various points in the life course and to explain some of the mechanisms that may underlie these persistent mental health inequalities and issues in the United States. The studies in this dissertation focused on three aspects of population mental health: psychological distress, substance misuse, and beliefs about depression and mental health treatment. The first empirical study utilized longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine mental health issues across the life course by investigating the relationship between adolescent peer victimization, adolescent self-concept, and psychological distress in emerging adult mental health. Results demonstrated that adolescent peer victimization is positively associated with psychological distress in emerging adults and self-concept partially mediates the association. A second empirical study used longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to explore gender differences in mental health through examining the relationship between early life adversity, adolescent perceived social support, and substance misuse between men and women in young adulthood. Findings from this study showed that early life adversity is associated with substance misuse in young adults, and cumulative early life adversity and types of early life adversities differentially impact substance misuse. The study also found that social support plays a dual role in the relationship between early life adversity and substance misuse because it serves as a buffer between some types of early life adversities and an aggravator between other types and substance misuse. A final qualitative study used interview data from 34 African American and White American women to examine racial/ethnic mental health disparities by exploring racial differences in the meanings and experiences of depression and beliefs about help-seeking. Findings from the study demonstrated that African American and White American women had relatively similar beliefs about depression, stigma, and help-seeking. The study also found key racial differences in expression of depressive symptoms, barriers to mental health services, mental health treatment preferences, and messages learned about mental health family, friends, and the media. Collectively, these studies showed that inequalities in exposure to early life stressors and adversity, and differences in access to psychological and psychosocial resources contribute to mental health disparities in adulthood. Additionally, the cultural messages that individuals receive, especially in their youth, and the meanings placed on mental health treatment influences whether they utilize mental health services. Some of the racial differences in the experiences of depression and messages about mental health may contribute to unmet mental health needs and mental health disparities. The knowledge gained from these studies can inform sociological scholarship and interventions that can eventually help to improve population mental healthPHDSociologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153396/1/jnorrin_1.pd