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© The Author(s) 2025. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The United States is witnessing rapid growth in multiracial populations, yet the social mechanisms producing health disparities between multiracial and monoracial groups remain poorly understood. Using the nationally representative Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2001–2012, N = 4,363,547), we examine mental and physical health outcomes through self-reported measures of poor mental and physical health days, systematically investigating four pathways potentially explaining multiracial-monoracial health disparities: 1) socioeconomic status, 2) early life adversity, 3) race-related experiences, and 4) health behaviors. Results based on negative binomial regressions and Karlson-Holm-Breen mediation tests reveal that Black multiracial, American Indian or Alaska Native multiracial, and Other multiracial individuals report worse mental and physical health despite higher socioeconomic status compared to their monoracial counterparts. Among Asian multiracial individuals, worse health outcomes compared to monoracial peers are partially attributed to socioeconomic factors and health behaviors. Across all multiracial groups, health disadvantages are largely explained by differences in early life social conditions, particularly exposure to family instability and adverse childhood experiences. Unexpectedly, race-related experiences show suppression rather than mediation effects, suggesting that accounting for discrimination actually increases observed health gaps. Our findings demonstrate how non-socioeconomic pathways, particularly early life adversity, play crucial roles in producing health disparities in an increasingly diverse society.

Details

Title
Identifying the social mechanisms for multiracial-monoracial health disparities
Author
Choi, Yoonyoung 1 ; Cao, Likun 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tarrence, Jacob 3 ; Zheng, Hui 4 ; Qian, Zhenchao 5 

 University of Arizona, School of Sociology, Tucson, USA (GRID:grid.134563.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2168 186X) 
 Purdue University, Department of Sociology, West Lafayette, USA (GRID:grid.169077.e) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 2197); The University of Chicago, Knowledge Lab, Chicago, USA (GRID:grid.170205.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 7822) 
 Oregon Department of Human Services and Oregon Health Authority, Office of Forecasting, Research and Analysis, Salem, USA (GRID:grid.238692.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 0456 1067) 
 Ohio State University, Department of Sociology, Columbus, USA (GRID:grid.261331.4) (ISNI:0000 0001 2285 7943); University of Toronto, Department of Sociology, Toronto, Canada (GRID:grid.17063.33) (ISNI:0000 0001 2157 2938) 
 Brown University, Department of Sociology, Providence, USA (GRID:grid.40263.33) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 9094) 
Pages
1208
Publication year
2025
Publication date
Dec 2025
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
e-ISSN
2662-9992
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3234785850
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2025. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.