Using the 1996 General Social Survey data, Schnittker et al. (2000) found that Blacks have been shown to be associated with genetics from a stigmatizing perspective (poor family upbringing), and also showed that the relationship between believing in a genetic cause and seeking professional help was stronger among Blacks than Whites. The overall implications of these findings are that, if Blacks endorse genetic causes, they are more likely to consider them from an essentialist perspective, and they are more likely to seek professional treatment. To the degree that they do not invoke genetic explanations, they are less likely to seek professional treatment for psychiatric disorders, believing that the cause is rooted in society. Similarly, studies investigating research participation showed that Blacks were less likely than Whites to consent for DNA donation storage for genetic research, but Blacks who endorsed genetic causes were more likely to consent for DNA storage than those who did not (Wang et al., 2001).
