Psychological and Linguistic Features in the Natural Language of Black Individuals Experiencing Mental Health Symptoms
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The importance of language has always been prevalent in the Black community, but no corpus linguistics studies examining language of Black individuals as it relates to their mental health exists. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the language used by Black individuals discussing their mental health utilizing Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. Posts from the subreddit r/blackmentalhealth were analyzed to explore various linguistic patterns. The results of this study showed differences in the use of several linguistic processes (e.g., first-person plural and third-person plural), which may suggest an emphasis on collectivism within the Black community. The findings in this study offer guidance for the treatment of Black individuals and their mental health and highlight implications for future research and practice.
