Ann W. Nguyen, PhD

Associate Professor
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences

Dr. Nguyen is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work is focused on minority aging and the life course. Her research is motivated by racial disparities in the burden of mental illness, especially for depression. Despite being less prevalent among African Americans, depression is more severe, chronic, persistent, and disabling for African Americans than for Whites. These disparities constitute an excess burden of depression for African Americans.

One of the goals of her research is to explain why older African Americans bear an excess burden of depression relative to older non-Hispanic Whites and identify factors that will address this disparity. Specifically, her research aims to identify psychosocial factors, such as social support, negative social interactions, and discrimination, that represent risk and protective factors for mental illness among older African Americans. These factors will inform interventions that can reduce and eliminate this excess burden for this population.

Biosketch
Curriculum Vitae
Google Scholar

Teaching Information

Courses Taught

SASS 547. Problem Identification, Screening and Assessment/Diagnosis
SASS 581. Social Work Practice with Older Adults

Publications

Recent Publications

Chatters, L. M., Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, R. J., Hope, M. O. (2018). Church and family support networks and depressive symptoms among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life. Journal of Community Psychology, 46(4), 403-417.

Nguyen, A. W., Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., Aranda, M. P., Lincoln, K. D., & Thomas, C. S. (2017). Discrimination, serious psychological distress, and church-based emotional support among African American men across the life span. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, Series B, 73(2), 198-207.

Lincoln, K. D., Lloyd, D., & Nguyen, A. W. (2017). Social relationships and salivary telomere length among middle-aged and older African American and White adults. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, Series B, 1-9. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx049. [Epub ahead of print].

Nguyen, A. W. (2017). Variations in social network types among older African Americans, Caribbean Blacks, and non-Hispanic Whites. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences. Jul; 72(4): 716–726. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx016

Nguyen, A. W. (2017). Mosque-based social support and collective and personal self-esteem among young Muslim American adults. Race and Social Problems, 9(2), 95-101. doi: 10.1007/s12552-017-9196-y

Himle, J. A., Taylor, R. J., Nguyen, A. W., Williams, M. T., Lincoln, K. D., Taylor, H. O., & Chatters, L. M. (2017). Family and friendship networks and obsessive compulsive disorder among African Americans and Black Caribbeans. the Behavior Therapist, 40(3), 99-105.

Keith, V. M., Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, R. J., Mouzon, D. M., & Chatters, L. M. (2017). Microaggressions, discrimination, and phenotype among African Americans: A latent class analysis of the impact of skin tone and BMI. Sociological Inquiry, 87(2), 233-255. doi: 10.1111/soin.12168

Nguyen, A. W., Chatters, L. M., & Taylor, R. J. (2016). African American extended family and church-based social network typologies. Family Relations, 65(5), 701-715. doi: 10.1111/fare.12218

Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Taylor, H. O., Lincoln, K. D., & Mitchell, U. A. (2016). Extended family and friendship support and suicidality among African Americans. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(3), 299-309. doi: 10.1007/s00127-016-1309-1

Taylor, R. J., Mouzon, D., Nguyen, A. W., & Chatters, L. M. (2016). Reciprocal family, friendship and church support networks of African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life. Race and Social Problems, 8(4), 326-339. doi: 10.1007/s12552-016-9186-5

Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2016). Church-based social support among Caribbean Blacks in the United States. Review of Religious Research, 58(3), 385-406. doi: 10.1007/s13644-016-0253-6

Taylor, H. O., Taylor, R. J., Nguyen, A. W., & Chatters, L. M. (2016). Social isolation, depression, and psychological distress among older adults. Journal of Aging and Health. doi: 10.1177/0898264316673511

Nguyen, A. W., Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., Levine, D. S., & Himle, J. A. (2016). Family, friends, and 12-month PTSD among African Americans. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 51, 1149-1157. doi: 10.1007/s00127-016-1239-y

Mouzon, D. M., Taylor, R. J., Nguyen, A. W., Chatters, L. M. (2016). Serious psychological distress among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life. Journal of Community Psychology, 44(6), 765-780. doi: 10.1002/jcop.21800

Nguyen, A. W., Chatters, L. M., & Taylor, R. J., Mouzon, D. M. (2016). Social support from family and friends and subjective well-being of older African Americans. Journal of Happiness Studies, Jun; 17(3): 959–979. doi: 10.1007/s10902-015-9626-8

Education

Doctor of Philosophy
University of Michigan
Master of Science
University of Michigan
Master of Social Work
University of Michigan
Bachelor of Arts
University of Texas at Austin