Black-White disparities in viral susceptibility to the common cold: The role of depressive affect

Evidence shows that there are marked Black-White health disparities in immune function that exist independent of socioeconomic status. Notably, most studies cannot differentiate between viral exposure and viral susceptibility. We overcome this problem with an experimental design and assess racial differences in cold symptom severity and the potential mediating role of depressive-type negative trait affect. We use data from the Pittsburg Cold Study 3, a viral challenge study where healthy participants (<i>n</i> = 200) were all inoculated with a cold virus. We test two hypotheses concerning race, depressive affect, and cold symptom severity using multivariable ordinary least squares regression and a Monte Carlo method for assessing mediation. While there was no significant difference in objective signs of upper respiratory pathology, findings indicate that Black participants reported less severe cold symptoms compared to White participants (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Depressive affect mediated this relationship: Black participants generally reported lower levels of depressive affect than White participants, which in turn was associated with lower perceived severity of their cold symptoms. We found evidence for racial differences in cold symptom severity in ways consistent with the Black-White Mental Health Paradox.