Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Soc Sci Med. 2012 Dec;75(12):2116-23. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.07.030. Epub 2012 Aug 8.
The white racial category in the U.S. encompasses persons who have Arab ancestry. Arab Americans, however, have always occupied a precarious position in relationship to Whiteness. This study examined differences in reporting racial/ethnic discrimination among Arab Americans. It also investigated whether and how the association between discrimination and psychological distress varies by characteristics that capture an Arab American's proximity to/distance from Whiteness. We used data from the Detroit Arab American Study (2003; n = 1016), which includes measures of discrimination and the Kessler-10 scale of psychological distress. A series of logistic regression models were specified to test the discrimination-psychological distress association, stratified by five measures that capture Whiteness--subjective racial identification, religion, skin color, ethnic centrality, and residence in the ethnic enclave. Discrimination was more frequently reported by Muslim Arab Americans, those who racially identify as non-white, and who live in the ethnic enclave. Conversely, the association between discrimination and psychological distress was stronger for Christian Arab Americans, those who racially identify as white, who have dark skin color, and who live outside the ethnic enclave. Even though Arab Americans who occupy an identity location close to Whiteness are less subjected to discrimination, they are more negatively affected by it. The findings illuminate the complex pathways through which discrimination associates with psychological distress among 'white' immigrants. Further research on discrimination and health among Arab Americans can help unpack the white racial category and deconstruct Whiteness.
美国的白人民族类别包括具有阿拉伯血统的人。然而，阿拉伯裔美国人在与白人的关系中一直处于不稳定的地位。本研究考察了阿拉伯裔美国人报告种族/族裔歧视差异的情况。它还调查了歧视与心理困扰之间的关联是否以及如何因反映阿拉伯裔美国人与白人的接近/距离的特征而有所不同。我们使用了底特律阿拉伯裔美国人研究（2003 年；n=1016）的数据，其中包括歧视措施和 Kessler-10 心理困扰量表。指定了一系列逻辑回归模型来检验歧视与心理困扰之间的关联，分为五个反映白人的措施进行分层——主观种族认同、宗教、肤色、族裔中心和居住在族裔飞地。穆斯林阿拉伯裔美国人、非白人种族认同者和居住在族裔飞地的人更频繁地报告受到歧视。相反，对于基督教阿拉伯裔美国人、白人种族认同者、肤色较深者和居住在族裔飞地之外的人，歧视与心理困扰之间的关联更强。尽管接近白人身份的阿拉伯裔美国人受到歧视的程度较低，但他们受到的负面影响更大。这些发现阐明了歧视与“白人”移民的心理困扰之间关联的复杂途径。进一步研究阿拉伯裔美国人的歧视和健康问题有助于解析白人种族类别并解构白人身份。
