Young Black Men and Mental Health Care: An Intersectional Framework

Abstract

Mental health disparities among young Black men aged 18 to 25 have reached crisis levels in the United States, evidenced by a 47% increase in suicide rates between 2010 and 2020 and persistent underutilization of mental health services. Existing theoretical frameworks remain inadequate, as traditional approaches treat race, gender, and age as separate risk factors, failing to capture how multiple forms of marginalization intersect to create distinct patterns of risk and service disengagement. This conceptual review proposes a four-dimensional intersectional framework integrating gendered racism, masculinized health stigma, anti-Black misandry, and delayed adulthood, four mutually reinforcing forces operating synergistically during the critical period of emerging adulthood, offering clinicians, researchers, and policymakers a comprehensive model for understanding and addressing mental health disparities affecting young Black men.