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“The editors have done a masterful job of compiling a handbook on African American health that is thorough, comprehensive, and timely. This work represents an important contribution to understanding the stark health disparities that exist between Americans of African descent and all other Americans. Now that these editors and authors have done their part, it will be up to us as researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to move forward an agenda that adequately addresses the issues they have identified.”

—Shawn O. Utsey, PhD, Chair, Department of African American Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University


“The Handbook addresses a significant gap in the literature by providing comprehensive coverage of both physical and mental health conditions. Each of the individual chapters fits into a holistic family and community participatory perspective that emphasizes etiological, cultural, and sociobehavioral contexts. Coverage includes the epidemiological and biological evidence bases, clinical and treatment perspectives, and challenges to addressing health conditions at the individual and population levels.”

—James S. Jackson, PhD, Daniel Katz Distinguished University Professor of Psychology and Director, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan


“I will be sharing this book with colleagues who conduct research or teach advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in health, African American studies, psychology, and other disciplines. Addressing historical and cultural perspectives, resilience, and best practices in improving the mental and physical health of African Americans, there is not much that the Handbook doesn't cover. I especially welcome the way most of the chapters tell us what works and what does not work.”

—Faye Z. Belgrave, PhD, Director, Social Psychology Program; Director, Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention, Virginia Commonwealth University


“ The chapters in this handbook do not rely on the jargon that has come to be attached to 'culturally competent practice. 'Instead, they discuss important components of African American culture (spirituality/religion, family support, resilience); address how historical trauma, intergenerational poverty, and distrust of health professionals influence the health status of African Americans; and provide thorough coverage of health conditions that affect the African American community. What makes this book unique is how each chapter discusses diagnoses and the types, utility, and availability of treatment in relation to the genetic, physical, historical, and sociocultural contexts of African Americans. This is a 'must-have' work for any medical or mental health professional who wants to provide effective services to African Americans.”

—Pearl Stewart, PhD, Department of Family and Child Studies, Montclair State University


“A useful and well-written volume highlighting the current status and history of African American health. This handbook reminds us that we indeed have 'miles to go before we sleep' to address, in a systematic and effective way, the many social determinants of health in our communities. This impressive book will prove valuable for scholars, public health and health policy advocates, and others who care deeply about this important subject.”

—Wayne J. Riley, MD, MPH, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Meharry Medical College

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Table of Contents

I. Foundations of African American Health

1. The Strengths and Challenges Facing African Americans: Building Culturally Competent Practices with Communities and Families, Richard Briscoe, Gwen McClain, Teresa Nesman, Jessica Mazza, and Maxine Woodside

2. Historical Trauma, Kristin N. Williams-Washington

3. Beyond Tuskegee: Why African Americans Do Not Participate in Research, Peter Edmund Millet, Stacey Kevin Close, and Christon George Arthur

4. Spirituality and the Power of Religion, Donelda A. Cook

5. Well-Being and Resilience, Ruth Chu-lien Chao

6. Evidence-Based Practice, Aminifu R. Harvey, Oliver J. Johnson, Annie McCullough-Chavis, and Tamara M. Carter

7. Pharmacotherapy in African Americans, David C. Henderson

8. Engaging African Americans in Outpatient Mental Health Interventions, Reginald D. Simmons and Gretchen Chase Vaughn

II. Health Issues for African Americans

9. Obesity, M. Kathleen Figaro, Rhonda BeLue, and Bettina M. Beech

10. Asthma, Michelle M. Cloutier

11. Diabetes, M. Kathleen Figaro, Verla M. Vaughan, and Freida Hopkins Outlaw

12. Cardiovascular Disease, Charles H. Hennekens, Wendy R. Schneider, and Robert S. Levine

13. Cancer, Derrick J. Beech

14. Tobacco Use, Tamika D. Gilreath, Guy-Lucien Whembolua, and Gary King

15. Anxiety, Angela Neal-Barnett, Lori E. Crosby, and Bernadette Blount Salley

16. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Jacquelyn Duval-Harvey and Kenneth Rogers

17. Major Depressive Disorder: Meeting the Challenges of Stigma, Misdiagnosis, and Treatment Disparities, Rahn Kennedy Bailey, Holly L. Blackmon, and Francis L. Stevens

18. Schizophrenia, William B. Lawson and Shana Jeanelle Gage

19. Suicide, Donna Holland Barnes

20. Child Maltreatment, Brenda Jones Harden and Jamell White

21. Intimate Partner Violence, Jaslean J. La Taillade, Robert L. Hampton, Marcus Pope, and April R. McDowell

22. Pathways to Prison, Deborah J. Burris-Kitchen

Epilogue, Robert L. Hampton and Thomas P. Gullotta

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About the Editors

Robert L. Hampton, PhD, is Professor of Sociology and Social Work, and former Provost/Executive Vice President, at Tennessee State University. He previously served as President and as Professor of Social Sciences at York College of the City University of New York, and has also served on the faculties of the University of Maryland, College Park; Connecticut College; and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Hampton has published extensively in the field of family violence and is one of the founders of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community.

Thomas P. Gullotta, MA, MSW, is CEO of Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, Inc., and a member of the Psychology and Education departments at Eastern Connecticut State University. His publications include the coedited Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion, and he is editor emeritus of the Journal of Primary Prevention. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Contributions to Practice in Community Psychology Award from the Society for Community Research and Action, Division 27 of the American Psychological Association.

• All titles by Thomas P. Gullotta

Raymond L. Crowel, PsyD, is Vice President for Human Service Systems at ICF International. He is responsible for the development and implementation of ICF International's National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center, focused on strengthening the national child welfare system of care. Dr. Crowel served as Director of Child and Adolescent Services for Baltimore Mental Health Systems and was on the faculty of the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Throughout his career in both public service and private practice, Dr. Crowel has focused on the role of mental health in the promotion of healthy development in children and families.

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Contributors

Christon George Arthur, PhD, College of Education, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee

Rahn Kennedy Bailey, MD, FAPA, Department of Psychiatry, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee

Donna Holland Barnes, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Howard University, Washington, DC

Bettina M. Beech, DrPH, Division of Public Health Sciences and Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Derrick J. Beech, MD, FACS, Department of Surgery, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee

Rhonda BeLue, PhD, Department of Health Policy and Administration,The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Holly L. Blackmon, BS, National Medical Association, Washington, DC

Richard Briscoe, PhD, Department of Child and Family Studies, Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

Deborah J. Burris-Kitchen, PhD, Criminology, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee

Tamara M. Carter, MSW, LCSW, Department of Social Work, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina

Ruth Chu-lien Chao, PhD, Counseling Psychology Program, Morgridge College of Education, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado

Stacey Kevin Close, PhD, Department of History, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, Connecticut

Michelle M. Cloutier, MD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut

Donelda A. Cook, PhD, Counseling Center, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland

Lori E. Crosby, PsyD, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio

Jacquelyn Duval-Harvey, PhD, Youth and Family Programs, Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore, Maryland

M. Kathleen Figaro, MD, Department of Health Services Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

Shana Jeanelle Gage, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC

Tamika D. Gilreath, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Thomas P. Gullotta, MA, MSW, Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, Inc., New London, Connecticut

Robert L. Hampton, PhD, Department of Social Work and Sociology, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee

Brenda Jones Harden, PhD, MSW, Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Aminifu R. Harvey, DSW, LICSW, Department of Social Work, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina

David C. Henderson, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Charles H. Hennekens, MD, DrPH, Department of Clinical Science and Medical Education and Center of Excellence, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida

Oliver J. Johnson, PhD, LMSW, Department of Social Work, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina

Gary King, PhD, Biobehavioral Health Program, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania

Jaslean J. La Taillade, PhD, Department of Family Science, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

William B. Lawson, MD, PhD, DFAPA, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC

Robert S. Levine, MD, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee

Jessica Mazza, MSPH, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Gwen McClain, MA, Department of Child and Family Studies, Center for the Advancement of Child Welfare Practice, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

Annie McCullough-Chavis, MSW, EdD, Department of Social Work, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina

April R. McDowell, MS, Department of Family Science, School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Peter Edmund Millet, PhD, Department of Psychology and College of Education, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee

Angela Neal-Barnett, PhD, Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Teresa Nesman, PhD, Department of Child and Family Studies, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida

Freida Hopkins Outlaw, PhD, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, Nashville, Tennessee

Marcus Pope, MEd, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Jessica M. Ramos, BA, Child and Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut, Inc., New London, Connecticut

Kenneth M. Rogers, MD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, College Park, Maryland

Bernadette Blount Salley, MM, Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Wendy R. Schneider, RN, MSN, CCRC, Department of Clinical Science and Medical Education and Center of Excellence, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida

Reginald D. Simmons, PhD, Department of

Criminology and Criminal Justice, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut

Francis L. Stevens, MS, Department of Counseling Psychology, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee

Gretchen Chase Vaughn, PhD, private practice, New Haven, Connecticut

Verla M. Vaughan, PhD, RN, School of Nursing, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee

Guy-Lucien Whembolua, PhD, Program in Health Disparities Research, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Jamell White, MSW, LCSW-C, MS, Department of Human Development, Institute for Child Study, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

Kristin N. Williams-Washington, MA, Department of Clinical Psychology, Argosy University, Washington, DC

Maxine Woodside, EdD, Bethesda Ministries, Tampa, Florida

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Audience

Graduate students, practitioners, and researchers in clinical psychology, counseling, public health, psychiatry, nursing, social work, sociology, healthcare administration, medicine, and evaluation.

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Course Use

May serve as recommended reading in graduate-level courses in African American studies, health psychology, public health, mental health, and minority counseling.