Race/Ethnicity and Self-Reported Levels of Discrimination and Psychological Distress, California, 2005
Open Access
- 18 October 2012
- journal article
- Published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Preventing Chronic Disease
- Vol. 9, E156
- https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd9.120042
Abstract
Little is known about the relationship between discrimination and distress among multiple racial groups because previous studies have focused primarily on either blacks or Asian Americans. The objective of this study was to assess the association between self-reported experiences of racial discrimination and symptoms of psychological distress among 5 racial/ethnic groups in California. I used data from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey describing an adult sample of 27,511 non-Hispanic whites, 8,020 Hispanics, 1,813 non-Hispanic blacks, 3,875 non-Hispanic Asians, and 1,660 people of other races/ethnicities. The Kessler 6-item Psychological Distress Scale determined symptoms of psychological distress. I used a single-item, self-reported measure to ascertain experiences of racial discrimination. Reports of racial discrimination differed significantly among racial groups. Self-reported discrimination was independently associated with psychological distress after adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, sex, education level, employment status, general health status, nativity and citizenship status, English use and proficiency, ability to understand the doctor at last visit, and geographic location. The relationship between discrimination and psychological distress was modified by the interaction between discrimination and race/ethnicity; the effect of discrimination on distress was weaker for minority groups (ie, blacks and people of other races/ethnicities) than for whites. Self-reported discrimination may be a key predictor of high levels of psychological distress among racial/ethnic groups in California, and race appears to modify this association. Public health practitioners should consider the adverse effects of racial discrimination on minority health.Keywords
This publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit:
- Associations Between Racial Discrimination, Limited English Proficiency, and Health-Related Quality of Life Among 6 Asian Ethnic Groups in CaliforniaAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2010
- Discrimination and racial disparities in health: evidence and needed researchJournal of Behavioral Medicine, 2008
- Perceptions of Race/Ethnicity-Based Discrimination: A Review of Measures and Evaluation of Their Usefulness for the Health Care SettingJournal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 2008
- Heart rate variability as a physiological moderator of the relationship between race-related stress and psychological distress in African Americans.Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 2007
- The association between self-reported racial discrimination and 12-month DSM-IV mental disorders among Asian Americans nationwideSocial Science & Medicine (1982), 2007
- Perceived discrimination, socioeconomic disadvantage and refraining from seeking medical treatment in SwedenJournal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2007
- Discrimination, Symptoms of Depression, and Self-Rated Health Among African American Women in Detroit: Results From a Longitudinal AnalysisAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2006
- Conceptualizing and Measuring Ethnic Discrimination in Health ResearchJournal of Behavioral Medicine, 2006
- Inventorying stressful life events as risk factors for psychopathology: Toward resolution of the problem of intracategory variability.Psychological Bulletin, 2006
- From bi-racial to tri-racial: Towards a new system of racial stratification in the USAEthnic and Racial Studies, 2004