TY - JOUR
T1 - Racial/ethnic discrimination
T2 - Dimensions and relation to mental health symptoms in a marginalized Urban American population
AU - Chin, Dorothy
AU - Loeb, Tamra B.
AU - Zhang, Muyu
AU - Liu, Honghu
AU - Cooley-Strickland, Michele
AU - Wyatt, Gail E.
N1 - Funding Information:
A multiethnic sample of 500 participants, including 230 African Americans (167 men and 63 women) and 270 Latinos (50 men and 220 women), participated in four parent studies that examined cumulative lifetime trauma and mental and physical health outcomes, supported by the National Institute of Mental Health– funded Center for Culture, Trauma, and Mental Health Disparities. These four parent samples were segregated by gender, with two studies consisting of male participants and two studies that included only female participants. Participants were recruited from community clinics and community-based organizations in South Los Angeles, an area with 25.6% of people living below the poverty line, which constitutes twice the median level in California (U.S. Census Bureau, 2018). In accordance with procedures approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of California, Los Angeles (Protocol Number P50MH073453-0551, Developing a Composite Life Adversities Risk Index) and Charles Drew School of Science and Medicine, community clinics and social service organizations that serve primarily low-income African American and Latinx clients were approached to obtain their support in allowing the project teams to recruit at their agency. Both direct recruitment (approaching clients and patients) and staff referrals were used. All who expressed interest were prescreened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria by a trained multi-ethnic and multicultural team. Study-specific flyers and word-of-mouth referrals were used to supplement recruitment.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - That racial/ethnic discrimination has adverse physical and psychological consequences, including stress, anxiety, depression, and their attendant health effects, is well documented. However, the particular dimensions within the broad construct of discrimination and their role in mental health are less well understood. This study investigates the dimensions of discrimination and explores their relation to depression and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. Using the Brief Perceived Ethnic/ Racial Discrimination Questionnaire-Community Version, discrimination experiences were assessed among a community sample of African American and Latinx participants (N = 500). Factor analyses revealed 4 dimensions: Social Rejection, Stereotyping, Direct Threats/Attacks, and Police Mistreatment. In multivariate analyses, full regression models were significantly related to PTS and depression symptoms. Among the individual predictors, Social Rejection and ethnicity (Latinx) uniquely contributed to PTS symptoms in men, whereas Stereotyping and Direct Threat/Attack were associated with PTS symptoms for women. In regards to depressive symptoms, income, ethnicity (Latinx), and Social Rejection were significant predictors for men, while Social Rejection had an independent contribution for women. Thus, social rejection emerged as a significant unique predictor in 3 of the four models, suggesting that social ostracism may be a particularly harmful aspect of discrimination. Implications of these findings include the use of proactive and intervention strategies that emphasize a sense of belonging and mitigate the effects of exclusion and rejection.
AB - That racial/ethnic discrimination has adverse physical and psychological consequences, including stress, anxiety, depression, and their attendant health effects, is well documented. However, the particular dimensions within the broad construct of discrimination and their role in mental health are less well understood. This study investigates the dimensions of discrimination and explores their relation to depression and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. Using the Brief Perceived Ethnic/ Racial Discrimination Questionnaire-Community Version, discrimination experiences were assessed among a community sample of African American and Latinx participants (N = 500). Factor analyses revealed 4 dimensions: Social Rejection, Stereotyping, Direct Threats/Attacks, and Police Mistreatment. In multivariate analyses, full regression models were significantly related to PTS and depression symptoms. Among the individual predictors, Social Rejection and ethnicity (Latinx) uniquely contributed to PTS symptoms in men, whereas Stereotyping and Direct Threat/Attack were associated with PTS symptoms for women. In regards to depressive symptoms, income, ethnicity (Latinx), and Social Rejection were significant predictors for men, while Social Rejection had an independent contribution for women. Thus, social rejection emerged as a significant unique predictor in 3 of the four models, suggesting that social ostracism may be a particularly harmful aspect of discrimination. Implications of these findings include the use of proactive and intervention strategies that emphasize a sense of belonging and mitigate the effects of exclusion and rejection.
KW - Depressive symptoms
KW - Posttraumatic stress
KW - Racial/ethnic discrimination
KW - Social rejection
KW - Stereotyping
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087219613&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85087219613&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/ort0000481
DO - 10.1037/ort0000481
M3 - Article
C2 - 32584076
AN - SCOPUS:85087219613
SN - 0002-9432
VL - 90
SP - 614
EP - 622
JO - American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
JF - American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
IS - 5
ER -