Mental health of black and Hispanic veterans improved after Obama's election, study finds

By FYH News Team

Published on June 1, 2022

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According to new research from Rice University, the mental health of black and Hispanic veterans improved when Barack Obama was elected president.

The first study of its kind, “My Commander in Chief is Black! The Mental Health Significance of Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Election for Military Veterans,” will appear in an upcoming issue of Armed Forces & Society†

Lead author Quintin Gorman Jr., a Rice sociology graduate student and an Air Force veteran, and co-authors Tony Brown and Julian Culver examined nationally representative survey data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to find the number of days of poor mental health reported. was adopted by Black, Hispanic, and White veterans before and after the 2008 elections. While there was no change among White veterans, Black and Hispanic veterans experienced, on average, about two fewer bad days per month after Obama was elected.

“Despite being portrayed as a racially progressive institution, after integration in 1948, the military was not a welcoming environment for both blacks and Hispanics,” Gorman said. “It is extremely encouraging to see the positive impact of Obama’s 2008 election on the mental health of these veterans.”

Highlighting some of the military’s race-related history, the authors wrote: “At front operational bases in Vietnam, white soldiers caused riots by burning crosses and hanging Confederate flags from buildings and vehicles after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Jr. soldiers in Vietnam enforced segregation in off-base establishments. During the wars in Korea and Vietnam, black soldiers faced more frequent combat-related deaths, conscription, and military justice (e.g., courts-martial and non-judicial punishments).

“More recently, scholars found that black military members are more likely to experience military justice, less frequent officer promotions, and struggle to access quality health care as veterans,” she added.

The researchers hope the study will highlight the importance of representation in the military and its impact on mental health. They plan to conduct similar investigations into other elections in the future.

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More information:
Quintin Gorman et al, My Commander in Chief is Black! The Mental Health Significance of Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Election for Military Veterans, Armed Forces & Society (2022). DOI: 10.1177/0095327X221082211

Provided by Rice University

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