Een kwalitatieve verkenning van gepercipieerde discriminatie, etnische identiteit, sociaal netwerk en middelengebruik bij personen met een Turkse en Oost-Europese migratieachtergrond in Gent

Abstract

The disposition of a strong ethnic identity and a strong ethnic network are described in some epidemiological literature, as moderating factors in the relation between perceived discrimination and substance use in people with a migration background. In this article we qualitatively explore this relation in people with a Turkish and Eastern-European migration background in Ghent, Belgium. We present data retrieved within the framework of a qualitative study, primarily aimed at understanding the nature of substance use in people with a migration background. We focus on the sub study of substance use in users with a Turkish (n = 55) and an Eastern-European migration (n = 62) background and present how they perceive discrimination, ethnic identity and their social network. Almost all respondent in this study perceive discrimination. Although this study did not result in a strong confirmation of the relation between perceived discrimination and substance use, we do establish that substance users in this study do not dispose of a strong ethnic identity nor a strong social network and that this is a risk factor for continued problem substance use.