A new perspective on the relationships among race, social class, and psychological distress

Analyzed data from 8 epidemiologic surveys to demonstrate that the relationship between race and psychological distress is not due entirely to social class. Findings show that the effects of race and social class are actually interactive. The form of interaction is such that the true effect of race is suppressed and the true effect of social class is magnified in a model that fails to take the interaction into consideration. Analysis shows that race differences in psychological distress are particularly pronounced among people with low incomes. (June 1986)