The primary objective of this application is to understand the mental health hazards associated with upward mobility for Black and White women through an examination of the lives of women currently employed in professional, managerial and administrative positions. To investigate how race and class of origin influence the course of women's advancement into professional and managerial positions, their support networks and resources, and resulting mental health, the project compares Black and White women raised in middle-class families with those raised in working-class families. Using a research sample of quantitative and qualitative life history data on 200 women (100 Black and 100 White) collected with a previous NIMH grant, this project analyzes the mental health consequences of four major independent variables: race, class of origin, employment in a traditionally male or female occupation, and employment in professional or managerial positions. Supports and obstacles to women's educational and employment achievement, types and sources of social supports, and mobility orientations are major intervening variables. Dependent variables are depression, general well-being, and physical health. Attention will be given to how women manage the stressors associated with multiple roles, mobility strategies, and interpersonal relations both within their families and on the job. Qualitative and Quantitative analyses of socio-demographic background, experiences in educational and employment settings, types and sources of support, physical and mental health measures will produce a model of contemporary professional-managerial women's mental health, highlighting differences across race, class of origin, employment in traditional male or female occupations and in positions as managers or professionals.
| Driscoll, Henry C; Basinski, James; Mulsant, Benoit H et al. (2005) Late-onset major depression: clinical and treatment-response variability. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 20:661-7 |
| Snapp, M B (1992) Occupational stress, social support, and depression among black and white professional-managerial women. Women Health 18:41-79 |
