Negative Effects Of Discrimination Research Articles

Discrimination and Mental Health Outcomes Among 1.5- and 2nd-Generation Muslim College Students

In the United States, Muslims live in a climate of heightened Islamophobia and racism. While research has indicated the negative mental health impacts of discrimination among Muslim Americans, the relationship between specific types of discrimination and mental health among 1.5- and 2nd-generation racial minority immigrant-origin Muslim American emerging adults remains unclear. This study, with a sample of 128 1.5- and 2nd-generation, racial minority, immigrant-origin Muslim American college students, explored the associations between (a) everyday experiences of discrimination, (b) campus racial climate, and (c) perceived Islamophobia in the broader culture and symptoms of depression and anxiety. We further examined whether perceived social support and ethnic identity moderated these associations. Findings revealed that everyday experiences of discrimination were significantly associated with symptoms of both depression and anxiety, and campus racial climate and broader perceptions of Islamophobia were significantly associated with anxiety but not depressive symptoms. Although stronger ethnic identity was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and higher perceived social support was associated with fewer anxiety and depressive symptoms, neither buffered against the negative effects of discrimination on mental health symptoms. The implications of the findings for culturally informed interventions and resources for Muslim American college students are discussed.

Ethno-religious discrimination and adjustment among Muslim adolescents: the promotive and protective roles of ethnic and religious identification

ABSTRACT Due to rising Islamophobia in Europe today, Muslim ethnic minority adolescents are at great risk of experiencing identity-based harassment at school. We extend previous research on ethnic discrimination by focusing on religious discrimination of Muslim adolescents and its effect on their psychological (i.e., depressive symptoms and self-esteem) and behavioural adjustment (i.e., disruptive behaviour at school). Further, we consider Muslim adolescents’ ethnic and religious identification as two factors that may promote adolescents’ adjustment and protect them from the negative consequences of discrimination. We used data from N = 105 Muslim ethnic minority adolescents (M age = 13.30, SD = 0.75, 45% female). Factor analysis revealed that adolescents did not differentiate between ethnic and religious discrimination. Results show that higher perceived ethno-religious discrimination (PERD) was related to more depressive symptoms. While higher ethnic identification was associated with greater self-esteem, higher religious identification was related to fewer depressive symptoms. Contrary to our expectation, Muslim adolescents who were highly identified with their ethnic group reported more depressive symptoms when experiencing more PERD. Their self-esteem was negatively affected by higher PERD when possessing high religious identification, while for low religious identification a positive effect of higher PERD on self-esteem emerged. Results highlight the importance of developing evidence-based intervention programmes for schools to tackle identity-based harassment.

Discrimination reduces work effort of those who are disadvantaged and those who are advantaged by it.

Research shows that discrimination is widespread in work organizations, yet we know little about the causal effects of discrimination on employees' work effort. Here we argue that, by decoupling effort from rewards, discrimination reduces the work effort of those who are disadvantaged by discrimination and those advantaged by it. We test these arguments against the results of five experiments designed to model promotion situations in organizations (total N = 1,184). Together, these studies show that when supervised by a manager with a discriminatory preference, both disadvantaged and advantaged workers reduce their work effort relative to a control condition where the manager is not discriminatory. The negative effect of discrimination is larger for those disadvantaged by it. These effects are mediated by employees' beliefs about how strongly work will impact their chances of reward. We then demonstrate that the relatively greater effort of advantaged-versus disadvantaged-workers in discriminatory organizations leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy: when faced with this effort differential, managers (N = 119) who did not have a priori discriminatory attitudes judged the advantaged category as more competent and deserving of workplace advancement than the disadvantaged category. Our results show that even though discrimination reduces all workers' effort, it can ultimately produce outcomes that reify and entrench discriminatory beliefs.

The moderating role of centrality of racial identity in the relationships between discrimination and depression and blood pressure

African Americans (AA) are at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), which may be exacerbated by discriminatory experiences. Centrality of racial identity, or the importance of one’s racial group membership for a person’s sense of self, has been shown to buffer individuals from the negative effects of discrimination on psychological health. This study extends the existing literature by investigating whether centrality moderates the relationship between discrimination and biological health via blood pressure. The sample was drawn from The Heart of Detroit Study (THDS), an ongoing longitudinal study on the psychosocial determinants of CVD risk among urban AA adults. Measures included the Everyday Discrimination Scale, the Centrality Scale, and the short form of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were also collected. Preliminary data were available for 113 participants (M = 67.5 yrs., SD = 5.75). Centrality was positively associated with discrimination; however, was not a significant moderator of the relationship between discrimination and depression, or the relationship between discrimination and blood pressure. Centrality of racial identity did not moderate the relationship between discrimination and health in our sample of middle-aged and older adults. These findings should be interpreted with caution given their preliminary nature. Other surrogate markers of CVD risk, such as heart rate variability, should be considered in the future.

Discrimination and mental health of highly educated immigrants in Hong Kong: The buffering role of group concentration

Perceived discrimination is widely recognized as a strong predictor of poor psychological health. However, it remains unclear whether this detrimental effect persists when the discriminator shares the same ethnic background as the victim, and when the victim holds a higher socioeconomic status. Furthermore, previous studies have primarily focused on individual-level protection while neglecting the surrounding social and institutional environment in which discrimination occurs. In this study, we examine whether highly educated immigrants are also vulnerable to mental health costs when facing discrimination, and whether immigrant concentration in the specific context where discrimination occurs could serve as a protective buffer. We utilize data from a survey conducted in 2020 on highly educated mainland Chinese immigrants in Hong Kong. Our statistical results suggest that perceiving discrimination from Hong Kong local Chinese has a negative association with the mental health of mainland Chinese immigrants, despite their shared ethnic identity and high educational status. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that the negative effect of discrimination only exists when local people dominate the population in the specific context where discrimination takes place. This buffering effect is consistent across workplace and residential community contexts as well as gender. This study contributes to our understanding of contextual factors that can mitigate the mental health costs of discrimination.

THE ROLE OF COPING IN THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DISCRIMINATION AND HEALTH OVER TIME IN SEXUAL MINORITY OLDER ADULTS

Abstract While research on lesbian, gay, and bisexual (i.e., sexual minority) middle-aged and older adults has increased over the past decade, there is still a critical need for more research on the health and resilience in this marginalized group, especially longitudinal research. This study examined the differences in the associations between perceived daily discrimination and the physical and mental health of sexual minority and heterosexual adults over time and assessed the moderating effects of problem-focused and emotion-focused coping on these associations. The sample for this study consisted of sexual minority (n=162) and propensity matched heterosexual (n=324) middle-aged and older adults (mean age at baseline=43 years, SD=12.5) with data from three waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study, spanning approximately 20 years. Results found that, for sexual minority participants, reporting higher perceived discrimination was associated with a greater number of chronic conditions at baseline, but was also associated with a significant decrease in the number of chronic conditions over time. For the heterosexual participants, both high and low perceived daily discrimination was associated with an increase in the number of chronic conditions over time. The results of this study also found significant moderating effects of coping on the number of chronic conditions and self-rated mental health over time. Problem-focused coping may protect against the negative effects of discrimination on health. These results are suggestive of a “steeling” effect or a resistance to stress achieved through exposures to adversity for the sexual minority middle-aged and older adults in this study.

Perceived Discrimination, Satisfaction with Life and Radicalization: Gender Differences

ABSTRACT The present study analyzes the effect of perceived discrimination on satisfaction with life and radicalization in adolescents. We hypothesize that perceived discrimination relates positively to the radicalization of adolescents, while satisfaction with life plays a mediating role in the negative effects of discrimination. We also suggest that gender has a modulating effect, since there are vast differences in the effects of perceived discrimination in girls and boys. Eighty-seven girls and 126 boys from a Spanish secondary school participated in the study, aged 15 to 25. Results show that perceived discrimination relates positively to radicalization in boys but not in girls. Conversely, discrimination relates negatively with satisfaction with life in girls, but not in boys. The mediating effect of this variable barely relates to radicalization in either gender; however, gender does show a modulating effect, which can be seen in the differences found between boys and girls: perceived discrimination relates positively with radicalization in boys but not in girls; conversely, it relates negatively with satisfaction with life in the case of girls but not in boys. These findings highlight the importance of achieving an appropriate integration of adolescents in society.

Racial discrimination, mental health symptoms, and intimate partner violence perpetration in Black adults.

This study had three goals: (a) to examine the association between racial discrimination and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration; (b) to determine whether this relationship is explained by mental health (MH) symptoms; and (c) to determine whether these associations vary by poverty status or gender. During the Wave 4 (2013-2017) visit of the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Longitudinal Study (HANDLS), Black adults who were in a relationship (N = 433; mean age = 55.26, SD = 9.30; 51% men) provided self-report data on IPV perpetration; frequency of racial discrimination; and levels of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Multigroup mediation models used these cross-sectional data to test whether racial discrimination was associated with MH symptoms, which in turn were associated with IPV perpetration, determining the significance of direct and indirect pathways and whether any pathways varied by poverty status or gender. Racial discrimination was associated with more MH symptoms, which in turn was associated with IPV perpetration. The negative effect of discrimination on MH was stronger for Black women than Black men and for Black adults with household incomes below 125% of the Federal poverty line than those with incomes above this cutoff. Efforts to prevent and treat IPV in the Black community should address the negative effects of racial discrimination experiences on MH and partner aggression, especially among those with multiple marginalized identities. IPV prevention efforts may be enhanced through an overarching commitment to dismantle structural racism and intersectional forms of oppression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Applying stress and coping models to ethnic/racial identity, discrimination, and adjustment among diverse adolescents.

Adopting the constructs of exposure, reactivity, and recovery, from stress and coping frameworks, this study investigated three models of discrimination, adjustment, and ethnic/racial identity among 76 African American, 145 Asian American, and 129 Latinx adolescents who were majority United States-born. The sample includes adolescents sampled from public schools in a large urban area in the northeastern United States, 62% female and with an average age of 14.3 years. Multilevel analyses support an exposure effect (Model 1) where a higher level of ethnic/racial identity (ERI) commitment was associated with a 28% reduction in experiencing discrimination stress. The negative effects of discrimination were attenuated by ERI commitment and centrality/private regard, while effects were exacerbated by ERI exploration (Model 2). Two approaches investigated next-day and longer-term recovery from discrimination (Model 3). With the exception of positive mood and anxiety, the data support recovery from discrimination stress. Discrimination is discussed in the development and maintenance of health disparities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Daily Experiences of Discrimination and Ethnic/Racial Minority Adolescents' Sleep: The Moderating Role of Social Support.

Using data from a 14-day diary study of 95 ethnic/racial minority adolescents, this study examined the within-person effect of daily discrimination tied to multiple social identities on adolescents' daily sleep quality and duration and whether daily support from important others (i.e., friends, parents, and teachers) would moderate these links. We found that daily discrimination was a low-frequency, but high-impact event associated with shorter sleep duration. Results pointed to the nuanced roles of daily support. Support from friends was negatively related to sleep duration, whereas support from parents appeared to be promotive to sleep quality. Support from teachers protected adolescents from the negative effects of discrimination on sleep duration. Implications for future interventions targeting sleep disturbances associated with discrimination are discussed.

Discrimination and Mental Health: Mediation Effects of Coping Strategies in LGB and Heterosexual Youth

Previous studies reveal that the negative effect of discrimination on mental health is particularly pernicious among stigmatised minorities. However, research also points out the importance of protection mechanisms that may buffer its effect. This study aimed to explore the relationships between mental health, perceived discrimination, and coping strategies of positive reframing and self-blame in LGB and heterosexual youth. Data were collected through a paper and pencil and an online survey administered to 195 Portuguese adolescents and young adults. The survey covered mental health (Mental Health Inventory-5), discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale), and coping strategies (Brief COPE). Of the sample, 73.3% were women and 51.8% self-identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB). Analyses of variance show that LGB participants have experienced more discrimination than their heterosexual counterparts. There was no difference in the levels of mental health and the use of self-blame or positive reframing coping strategies. Regression analyses reveal that perceived discrimination and self-blame contribute to the worsening of the mental health of LGB and heterosexual youth. Positive reframing coping was a predictor of mental health only in LGB participants, a strategy that contributed to their resilience in the face of discrimination. Additionally, only LGB participants displayed an indirect effect of discrimination on mental health, partially mediated by self-blame coping. Results corroborate previous findings that suggest that perceived discrimination has a more deleterious effect for members of a minority group and support the psychological mediation framework regarding the effect of discrimination on mental health in stigmatised groups.

Discrimination and State Capacity: Evidence from Wwii U.S. Army Enlistment

This paper investigates the empirical relationship between inclusion and state capacity, as theorized by Besley and Persson (2009). We examine the impact of racial discrimination on Black U.S. military enlistment during the onset of WWII. We find that discrimination had a large and negative effect on volunteer enlistment after the Pearl Harbor attack. The result is robust to a large number of controls that account for potential confounders. The negative effect of discrimination is moderated by geographical proximity to Pearl Harbor, and is larger for educated men. We provide consistent evidence for Japanese Americans.

Hopelessness Among Middle-Aged and Older Blacks: The Negative Impact of Discrimination and Protecting Power of Social and Religious Resources.

Background and ObjectivesHopelessness—a state of despair characterized by a negative outlook towards the future and a belief in insurmountable challenges—is a risk factor for major depression, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality among older adults. It is also an understudied consequence of discrimination. Older blacks disproportionately report experiencing discrimination and, as a result, may be at greater risk of feeling hopeless. However, social and religious resources may protect against the adverse effects of discrimination. The current study examines whether social support, social engagement, religious attendance, and religiosity buffer the effects of self-reported everyday discrimination on hopelessness among a nationally representative sample of blacks.Research Design and MethodsUsing data from the 2010/2012 psychosocial assessment of the Health and Retirement Study, we regressed hopelessness on everyday discrimination, stratifying by 2 age groups, ages 51–64, representing middle-age (n = 1,302), and age 65 and older, representing old age (n = 887). Interaction terms tested whether each resource moderated the discrimination–hopelessness relationship controlling for depressive symptoms, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics.ResultsGreater reports of everyday discrimination were associated with higher levels of hopelessness for middle-aged and older blacks. For middle-aged blacks, the resources did not moderate the discrimination–hopelessness relationship; rather, higher levels of support (b = −0.294, p < .01), religiosity (b = −0.297, p < .001), religious attendance (b = −0.218, p < .05) were independently and inversely associated with hopelessness. For older blacks, higher levels of religiosity moderated the discrimination–hopelessness relationship (b = −0.208, p < .05) and higher levels of support (b = −0.304, p < .05) and social engagement (b = −0.236, p < .05) were independently and inversely associated with hopelessness.Discussion and ImplicationsFindings suggest that self-reported everyday discrimination increases hopelessness among middle-aged and older blacks but social and religious resources may counterbalance its effects, in age-specific ways, to protect against hopelessness. Religiosity may be especially important for older blacks as a buffer against the negative consequences of discrimination on hopelessness.

Introduction

Introduction

RESILIENCE, COPING, AND HEALTH IN MIDDLE TO LATE LIFE

Stress and resilience are two factors that are receiving attention as key determinants that can provide insights that underlie the deleterious effects on the overall health and well-being of individuals by influencing behavioral and biological processes. This symposium contains a collection of papers seeking to address the influence of resilience and coping on health outcomes in middle to late life adults. Tobin and Thorpe identified profiles of psychosocial resilience and examined their association with allostatic load (AL) among 283 Black men in the Nashville Stress and Health Study. Using Latent class analysis (LCA), individuals in the high resilience class had the greatest odds of high AL; high resilience worsened physical health for older but not younger Black men. Tan and colleagues explored satisfaction across life domains and correlates of satisfaction across domains in 93 Black adults. The authors report that higher satisfaction was associated with less education, less financial strain, lower depressive symptoms, and better self-rated physical health. Nguyen examined the association between everyday discrimination and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and whether church-based relationships buffer the negative effects of everyday discrimination on GAD among older African Americans. Using data from 670 African American respondents age 55 and older from the NSAL, the author reports, that significant interactions indicated that frequent contact with church members and high levels of subjective closeness to church members buffered against the negative effects of discrimination on GAD. These presentations collectively will bolster our knowledge of how stress and resilience impacts health disparities.

CHURCH RELATIONSHIPS, DISCRIMINATION, AND GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AMONG OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS

The African American church has played a major role in African American communities, and church relationships represent an important stress-coping resource for older African Americans. This study examined 1) the association between everyday discrimination and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and 2) whether church-based relationships buffer the negative effects of everyday discrimination on GAD among older African Americans. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using data from 670 African American respondents age 55 and older from the National Survey of American Life: Coping with Stress in the 21st Century. More frequent experiences of everyday discrimination was associated with higher odds of meeting criteria for GAD. Significant interactions indicated that frequent contact with church members and high levels of subjective closeness to church members buffered against the negative effects of discrimination on GAD. Interventions that focus on the use of church members for support capitalize on a major strength among older African Americans.

Perceived discrimination and well-being among unauthorized Hispanic immigrants: The moderating role of ethnic/racial group identity centrality.

We investigated the association between perceived ethnic discrimination with psychological well-being and life satisfaction among a community sample of unauthorized Hispanic immigrants in the United States. We also assessed whether ethnic/racial group identity centrality moderated this relationship. A community sample of self-reported unauthorized Hispanics (N = 140) completed questionnaires assessing perceived ethnic discrimination, ethnic/racial group identity centrality, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction. Discrimination negatively predicted psychological well-being and life satisfaction, and ethnic/racial group identity centrality moderated these relationships. High ethnic/racial group identity centrality reduced the association of discrimination with psychological well-being and life satisfaction. Ethnic/racial identity centrality lent psychological protection for those who reported higher levels of discrimination. Ethnic discrimination is a salient stressor for unauthorized Hispanic immigrants. Yet high ethnic/racial group identity centrality may protect these individuals from the negative effects of discrimination by providing a sense of belonging, acceptance, and social support in the face of rejection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Ethnic/Racial Identity—A Double-Edged Sword? Associations With Discrimination and Psychological Outcomes

Given the prominence of ethnicity/race in the United States, many youths construct an ethnic/racial identity (ERI). However, ERI development occurs against a backdrop of prejudice, oppression, and discrimination. This synthetic review explores (a) how identity and discrimination are related and (b) their association with psychological health. There is a reciprocal developmental association between ERI and discrimination, in which each informs the other. Although discrimination is detrimental for mental health, its impact depends on identity. In some cases, ERI confers protection from discrimination, and in others, it poses additional vulnerabilities. A strong sense of commitment to one’s identity confers protection against the negative effects of discrimination, while high levels of identity exploration are associated with increased vulnerability. However, the importance of ethnicity/race to one’s identity both protects from and increases vulnerabilities to discrimination. Suggestions for future research to help to disambiguate these associations are offered.

Be Friendly, Stay Well: The Effects of Job Resources on Well-Being in a Discriminatory Work Environment.

Many studies have focused on the negative effects of discrimination on workers’ well-being. However, discrimination does not affect just victims but also those people who witness discriminatory acts or who perceived they are working in a discriminatory work environment. Although perceiving a discriminatory work environment might be a stressor, the presence of job resources might counteract its negative effects, as suggested by the Job Demand-Resources model. The goal of this study is to test the effect of perceiving a discriminatory work environment on workers’ psychological well-being when job autonomy and co-workers and supervisor support act as mediator and moderators respectively. To test the moderated mediation model data were gathered with a sample of Italian 114 truckers. Results demonstrated that job autonomy partially mediates the relationship between perceiving a discriminatory work environment and workers’ well-being. Main interactional effects have been observed when co-workers support is introduced in the model as moderator, while no main interactional effects exist when supervisor support is introduced. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

It’s just a matter of perspective?

Prior research has, on the one hand, identified negative consequences of discrimination in general on various individual-level and organizational outcomes. On the other hand, prior literature has discussed barriers to the transfer of knowledge within organizations. However, research into the relationship between these important issues is scant. This paper addresses the unresolved issue how a specific aspect of discrimination, i.e. perceived age discrimination climate, impacts intergenerational knowledge transfer, as an increasingly important type of knowledge transfer. Drawing on social exchange theory, we conceptualize the perception of age discrimination climate as detrimental to intergenerational knowledge transfer through a reduction of job satisfaction and trust. We collected data in the setting of the dual vocational training system of Germany by questioning 432 trainees and trainers. For the training period, each trainee has a formally assigned trainer. By definition, this setting describes a forma...