Science Publications

Sign Up
Sign In
Submit
Current Research in Public Health
Cite This Article Share Download PDF XML
  1. Home
  2. Journals
  3. Current Research in Public Health
  4. Archive
  5. Volume 5, Issue 1, 2025
  6. Article
Article Open Access October 04, 2025

Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians

Shervin Assari 1, 2,*, Sharon Cobb 1, 2 and Mohsen Bazargan 3
1
Department of Family Medicine, Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2
The Mervyn M. Dymally College of Nursing (MMDCON), Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
3
The Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R), University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA
Publihed in: Current Research in Public Health (Volume 5, Issue 1, 2025)
Page(s): 52-63
DOI: 10.31586/ojp.2025.6197
Received
July 28, 2025
Revised
August 31, 2025
Accepted
September 30, 2025
Published
October 04, 2025
Keywords
Population Groups; Race; Ethnicity; Ethnic Groups; Blacks; African Americans; Loss; Stress; Depression
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright: Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Scientific Publications
Article metrics
Views
73
Downloads
0

Cite This Article

APA Style
Assari, S. , Cobb, S. , & Bazargan, M. (2025). Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians. Current Research in Public Health, 5(1), 52-63. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojp.2025.6197
ACS Style
Assari, S. ; Cobb, S. ; Bazargan, M. Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians. Current Research in Public Health 2025 5(1), 52-63. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojp.2025.6197
Chicago/Turabian Style
Assari, Shervin, Sharon Cobb, and Mohsen Bazargan. 2025. "Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians". Current Research in Public Health 5, no. 1: 52-63. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojp.2025.6197
AMA Style
Assari S, Cobb S, Bazargan M. Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians. Current Research in Public Health. 2025; 5(1):52-63. https://doi.org/10.31586/ojp.2025.6197 
@Article{crph6197,
AUTHOR = {Assari, Shervin and Cobb, Sharon and Bazargan, Mohsen},
TITLE = {Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians},
JOURNAL = {Current Research in Public Health},
VOLUME = {5},
YEAR = {2025},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {52-63},
URL = {https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJP/article/view/6197},
ISSN = {2831-5162},
DOI = {10.31586/ojp.2025.6197},
ABSTRACT = {Purpose: Although the effect of loss of a loved one on depression is well established, very limited knowledge exists on racial differences in this effect. Aim: In the current study we compared Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) Californians for the effects of loss of a loved one on depression in a representative sample of adults in California. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Survey of California Adults on Serious Illness and End-of-Life 2019. Overall, 1603 people entered our study. We compared 901 (56.2%) NHB and 702 (43.8%) NHW adults (age 18 and older). Race/ethnicity, demographics (age and gender), socio-economic factors (education, income, employment, and marital status), religiosity, and health (self-rated health and number of chronic medical conditions), and depression were measured. To perform data analysis, we used logistic regression models. Results: In the pooled sample, loss of a loved one was not associated with self-reported depression, net of all covariates. Race, however, interacted with loss of a loved one on depression, suggesting a larger association for NHBs compared to NHWs. In race-specific models, loss of a loved one predicted depression for NHBs (OR = 1.54) but not NHWs (OR = 0.99). Conclusion: There are differences between NHBs and NHWs in the effect of loss of a loved one on depression. NHBs show a stronger association between loss of a loved one and depression than NHWs. This result is not in line with the NHB mental health paradox or with NHB resilience but is consistent with the notion that social relations may be more salient for NHBs than for NHWs.},
}
%0 Journal Article
%A Assari, Shervin
%A Cobb, Sharon
%A Bazargan, Mohsen
%D 2025
%J Current Research in Public Health

%@ 2831-5162
%V 5
%N 1
%P 52-63

%T Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians
%M doi:10.31586/ojp.2025.6197
%U https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJP/article/view/6197

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Assari, Shervin
AU  - Cobb, Sharon
AU  - Bazargan, Mohsen
TI  - Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians
T2  - Current Research in Public Health
PY  - 2025
VL  - 5
IS  - 1
SN  - 2831-5162
SP  - 52
EP  - 63
UR  - https://www.scipublications.com/journal/index.php/OJP/article/view/6197
AB  - Purpose: Although the effect of loss of a loved one on depression is well established, very limited knowledge exists on racial differences in this effect. Aim: In the current study we compared Non-Hispanic White (NHW) and Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) Californians for the effects of loss of a loved one on depression in a representative sample of adults in California. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Survey of California Adults on Serious Illness and End-of-Life 2019. Overall, 1603 people entered our study. We compared 901 (56.2%) NHB and 702 (43.8%) NHW adults (age 18 and older). Race/ethnicity, demographics (age and gender), socio-economic factors (education, income, employment, and marital status), religiosity, and health (self-rated health and number of chronic medical conditions), and depression were measured. To perform data analysis, we used logistic regression models. Results: In the pooled sample, loss of a loved one was not associated with self-reported depression, net of all covariates. Race, however, interacted with loss of a loved one on depression, suggesting a larger association for NHBs compared to NHWs. In race-specific models, loss of a loved one predicted depression for NHBs (OR = 1.54) but not NHWs (OR = 0.99). Conclusion: There are differences between NHBs and NHWs in the effect of loss of a loved one on depression. NHBs show a stronger association between loss of a loved one and depression than NHWs. This result is not in line with the NHB mental health paradox or with NHB resilience but is consistent with the notion that social relations may be more salient for NHBs than for NHWs.
DO  - Unequal Burden of Loss of a Loved One in Non-Hispanic Black and White Californians
TI  - 10.31586/ojp.2025.6197
ER  -