Project - Racial Disparities in Physical & Mental Health Study

"Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, with an estimated one million annual suicide deaths across the globe (World Health Organization, 2012) and more than 40,000 each year in the United States alone (Hedegaard et al., 2018). Despite this critical need, there is accumulating evidence that quantity, quality, and receipt of psychological care is not equally distributed across people in the United States. Relevant to the current work, there is increasing evidence that Black Americans (relative to White Americans) receive both less and lower quality psychological care (McGuire & Miranda, 2008)."

The IRISE fellow, in collaboration with the mentorship team, will examine provider biases in risk assessment and psychiatric treatment recommendations for Black relative to White hypothetical patients. By experimentally testing the role of racial biases in suicide risk assessment and intervention as well as by examining the underlying mechanisms of such biases, the current work introduces new perspectives and possible solutions to mental health disparities."