Life events and their impact on the mental health of young black men: a qualitative and quantitative study

Although it is presumed that men who acquire a college education will also achieve middle-class status, middle-class status does not provide Black men with the anticipated reductions for some health risks. Black men who attend predominately white institutions (PWIs) are reported to face many obstacles such as racism, isolation, alienation, and lack of support compared to Black men who attend historically Black colleges/universities (HBCUs). Formative research methods were used to obtain information about stressors of Black college men and how these stressors influence their mental health and health behaviors. Focus groups captured men's understanding of mental health and their stressful life events while a questionnaire was used to obtain general health information, including depressive symptoms (i.e. feeling sad, nervous, hopeless, and worthless). Results suggest that there are no major differences between the health of Black college men at a PWI and a HBCU; however, men at each institution experience different levels of psychosocial stress as a function of their academic settings. Future research should explore the mental health of Black college men more thoroughly and include an in-depth exploration of their health practices.