In a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health compared the long-term mental health outcomes of Black students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and PWIs.
The research followed Black students from secondary school through college and beyond to see if they were less likely to encounter racism at HBCUs than at predominately white universities (PWIs).
According to the study: “We used the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to estimate the long-term causal effect of attending an HBCU (vs. PWI) on depressive symptoms among Black students in the United States from 1994–2018.”
“While we found no overall association with attending an HBCU (vs. PWI) on depressive symptoms, we found that this association varied by baseline mental health and region, and across time,” the authors explained in their study.
“We recommend equitable state and federal funding for HBCUs, and that PWIs implement and evaluate antiracist policies to improve mental health of Black students.”
