Sketch of a research program on the contribution of discrimination to mental health inequalities: a critical review of evidence, models and methods

Abstract

In the first two decades of the 21st century literally hundreds of studies have documented a negative correlation between discrimination and mental health. However, critics have observed that the association applies within groups, leaving unaddressed the question whether discrimination produces inequalities in mental health between groups. The article seeks to sketch some elements for a multi-method research program concerned with the role of discrimination in the production of mental health inequalities between groups. The discussion proceeds in fourth steps. First, the available evidence on the correlation between perceived discrimination and emotional distress is critically reviewed. Second, the connection between discrimination and distress is embedded within a more encompassing model for explaining social inequalities in mental health. Third, a multi-method empirical strategy for integrating retrospective reports of lived discrimination with objective measures of discriminatory treatment is proposed. Fourth, drawing on two separate projects recently completed on the cases of European Muslims and Blacks, the suggested multi-method strategy is illustrated.