The Enduring Mental Health Effects of Post-9/11 Discrimination in the Context of the Great Recession: Race/Ethnic Variation

Abstract

While prior study has linked discrimination experienced as a result of 9/11 with economic insecurity within the context of the Great Recession, the mental health effects of this linkage are unexamined. This study examined whether economic insecurity during the recession era helps account for long-term effects of 9/11-related discrimination on symptoms of depression and anxiety using structural equation modeling techniques to assess data from a national mail survey. Results reveal that the effects of 9/11-related discrimination on symptoms of depression and anxiety substantially derive from its association with recession era economic insecurity. The impact of 9/11-related discrimination on economic insecurity is also significantly greater for black Americans and Latinos compared to non-Hispanic whites and is further linked with more symptoms of depression and anxiety for both groups.