students (Poyrazli and Lopez 2007) and conduct problems among adolescents (Brody et al. 2006). Other recent research has related perceived discrimination to multiple forms of violence (Choi et al. 2006). These include intimate partner violence (Waltermaurer et al. 2006) and violence among adolescents (Simons et al. 2006). Almost without exception, studies of discrimination and mental health find that higher levels of discrimination are associated with poorer mental health status. At the same time, almost all studies are cross-sectional leaving open the possibility that perceptions of discrimination are a consequence of mental health status. It is therefore noteworthy that the few published prospective studies (Brody et al. 2006; Greene et al. 2006; Simons et al. 2006; Schulz et al. 2006b), have found that there is a positive association between perceived discrimination and changes in mental health symptoms. This pattern is consistent with one earlier national study of African Americans which found that baseline depression and depressive symptoms were not associated with subsequent reports of discrimination (Brown et al. 2000).
