Dimensions of Perceived Racism and Self-Reported Health: Examination of Racial/Ethnic Differences and Potential Mediators
Dimensions of Perceived Racism and Self-Reported Health: Examination of Racial/Ethnic Differences and Potential Mediators
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Date
2011
Authors
Brondolo, Elizabeth
Hausmann, Leslie R. M.
Jhalani, Juhee
Pencille, Melissa
Atencio-Bacayon, Jennifer
Kumar, Asha
Kwok, Jasmin
Ullah, Jahanara
Roth, Alan
Chen, Daniel
Advisor
Citation
Brondolo, Elizabeth and Hausmann, Leslie R. M. and Jhalani, Juhee and Pencille, Melissa and Atencio-Bacayon, Jennifer and Kumar, Asha and Kwok, Jasmin and Ullah, Jahanara and Roth, Alan and Chen, Daniel (2011) Dimensions of Perceived Racism and Self-Reported Health: Examination of Racial/Ethnic Differences and Potential Mediators. Annals of Behavioral Medicine .
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Many details of the negative relationship between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and health are poorly understood. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between perceived discrimination and self-reported health, identify dimensions of discrimination that drive this relationship, and explore psychological mediators. METHODS: Asian, Black, and Latino(a) adults (N = 734) completed measures of perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, self-reported health, depression, anxiety, and cynical hostility. RESULTS: The association between perceived discrimination and poor self-reported health was significant and did not differ across racial/ethnic subgroups. Race-related social exclusion and threat/harassment uniquely contributed to poor health for all groups. Depression, anxiety, and cynical hostility fully mediated the effect of social exclusion on health, but did not fully explain the effect of threat. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that noxious effects of race-related exclusion and threat transcend between-group differences in discriminatory experiences. The effects of race-related exclusion and threat on health, however, may operate through different mechanisms.