The proposed study will capitalize on the 1979-80 National Survey of Black Americans and the two follow-up waves of telephone interviews that have been completed. Of the 2,107 respondents interviewed in 1980, 953 were tracked, located and re-interviewed in 1987; 793 of the 953 were again interviewed in 1988-89. Our experiences have convinced us that telephone interviewing is a cost effective alternative to face-to-face household procedures for interviewing black Americans (Aneshensel et al., 1982; Blair & Czaja, 1982; Groves & Kahn, 1979; Tucker, 1983). We discovered that the tracking, reinterviewing and general field work proceeded much more smoothly than anticipated. We propose an additional wave of data collection to capitalize on a large sample. We anticipate approximately 634 completed interviews. The advantages of a fourth wave of data are several. Chief among these are more comparable time lags in three waves of data, four waves of data on a unique national sample, and longer observations on changes over time. The overall objective of this research project is to continue a national investigation of the mental health, coping, and informal and formal help-seeking of black Americans. Specifically, the focus of the proposed study is on the relationships among socioeconomic position, social stress and ental health and illness. We are especially concerned with race related attributions and external factors that may facilitate or hinder help-seeking. The results of this study will contribute to our understanding of the relative contributions of socioeconomic statue and internal and external mediating factors to time related changes in serious personal problems and informal and formal help-seeking among the black population. The findings should continue to contribute to scientific knowledge of mental health and coping processes and will have practical significance in the design and delivery of mental health services.
