Predictors of Subjective Life Expectancy Among African Americans

Abstract

Few researchers examine how long African Americans expect to live. Using the fifth wave of the Harlem Longitudinal Study of Urban Black Youth, 1993-1994, the author explores the extent to which established predictors of subjective life expectancy (SLE), identified in predominantly and exclusively White samples, predict SLE among African Americans living in an urban area. The analyses reveal that some established predictors are associated with how long African Americans expect to live; others are not. Additionally, I examine two unexplored categories of SLE: stress and social network characteristics. Findings suggest that some measures of stress have a negative relationship to SLE, while other forms of stress have a positive relationship to SLE. In general, network characteristics are associated with how long African Americans expect to live.