Ethnicity/race, paranoia, and hospitalization for mental health problems among men.

OBJECTIVES

I tested the hypothesis that Black men with high levels of distrust (i.e., mild paranoia) are at greater risk of hospitalization for mental health problems than their White counterparts.

METHODS

Secondary analysis was conducted of data from a subsample of 180 men in an epidemiological study. Mental health hospitalization was the outcome and ethnicity/race, mild paranoia, and their interaction were main predictors in a logistic regression analysis. The ethnicity/race by mild paranoia interaction tested the study hypothesis.

RESULTS

The ethnicity/race by mild paranoia interaction was statistically significant. Contrary to the hypothesis, Black men with mild paranoia were less likely to be hospitalized.

CONCLUSIONS

Black men's lack of trust regarding the mental health system may cause them not to seek services. Factors critical to increasing their trust are acknowledgment of racial biases in the mental health system and sincere efforts to eliminate racial disparities in mental health treatment.