Being (Born) Black in America: Perceived Discrimination & African-American Infant Mortality

Paper first presented as a lecture at The Evergreen State College Symposium on Psychoneuroimmunology under the title "The Social Determinants of Health: African American Infant Mortality."

11 Pages Posted: 11 Nov 2012 Last revised: 26 Nov 2012

See all articles by Joseph D. Osel

Joseph D. Osel

Seattle University Graduate Department of Existential-Phenomenological Psychology; TESC Department of Society, Politics, Behavior and Change

Date Written: March 1, 2008

Abstract

It is now widely recognized that African American infants are nearly two and a half times as likely as white infants to die in their first year of life. This review provides an overview of contemporary research findings on infant mortality with particular attention paid to African American infant mortality and its possible psychosocial and environmental determinants. It engages the genetic, behavioral, and socioeconomic arguments and attempts to contextualize them in the context of the current research. In the initial sections a particular effort has been made to present these findings in a meticulous, non-speculative manner. The conclusion contains critical extractions and extrapolations, as well as suggestions for further research.

Keywords: Research, Review, Subjectivity, African-Americans, Infant Mortality, Socioeconomics, Psychoneuroimmunology, Discrimination, Race, Racism, Oppression, United States, Health, Mental Health

Suggested Citation

Osel, Joseph Daniel and Osel, Joseph Daniel, Being (Born) Black in America: Perceived Discrimination & African-American Infant Mortality (March 1, 2008). Paper first presented as a lecture at The Evergreen State College Symposium on Psychoneuroimmunology under the title "The Social Determinants of Health: African American Infant Mortality.", Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2173553 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2173553

Joseph Daniel Osel (Contact Author)

TESC Department of Society, Politics, Behavior and Change ( email )

Olympia, WA
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.evergreen.edu/catalog/2011-12/societypoliticsbehaviorchange.htm

Seattle University Graduate Department of Existential-Phenomenological Psychology ( email )

Seattle, WA
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/map/Inner.aspx?id=70646

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