Molina Kristine M, James Drexler
University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
Group Process Intergroup Relat. 2016 Jul;19(4):439-461. doi: 10.1177/1368430216641304. Epub 2016 May 3.
Emerging research suggests that both perceptions of discrimination and internalized racism (i.e., endorsement of negative stereotypes of one's racial group) are associated with poor mental health. Yet, no studies to date have examined their effects on mental health with racial/ethnic minorities in the US in a single study. The present study examined: (a) the direct effects of everyday discrimination and internalized racism on risk of DSM-IV criteria of past-year major depressive disorder (MDD); (b) the interactive effects of everyday discrimination and internalized racism on risk of past-year MDD; and (c) the indirect effect of everyday discrimination on risk of past-year MDD via internalized racism. Further, we examined whether these associations differed by ethnic group membership. We utilized nationally representative data of Afro-Caribbean ( = 1,418) and African American ( = 3,570) adults from the National Survey of American Life. Results revealed that experiencing discrimination was associated with increased odds of past-year MDD among the total sample. Moreover, for Afro-Caribbeans, but not African Americans, internalized racism was associated with decreased odds of meeting criteria for past-year MDD. We did not find an interaction effect for everyday discrimination by internalized racism, nor an indirect effect of discrimination on risk of past-year MDD through internalized racism. Collectively, our findings suggest a need to investigate other potential mechanisms by which discrimination impacts mental health, and examine further the underlying factors of internalized racism as a potential self-protective strategy. Lastly, our findings point to the need for research that draws attention to the heterogeneity within the U.S. Black population.
新出现的研究表明，对歧视的认知和内化的种族主义（即对自己种族群体负面刻板印象的认同）都与心理健康状况不佳有关。然而，迄今为止，尚无研究在一项单一研究中考察它们对美国少数种族/族裔心理健康的影响。本研究考察了：（a）日常歧视和内化的种族主义对过去一年符合《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第四版（DSM-IV）标准的重度抑郁症（MDD）风险的直接影响；（b）日常歧视和内化的种族主义对过去一年MDD风险的交互作用；以及（c）日常歧视通过内化的种族主义对过去一年MDD风险的间接影响。此外，我们还考察了这些关联是否因种族群体成员身份而异。我们使用了来自《美国生活全国调查》的具有全国代表性的非裔加勒比人（n = 1418）和非裔美国人（n = 3570）成年人的数据。结果显示，在总样本中，经历歧视与过去一年患MDD的几率增加有关。此外，对于非裔加勒比人而非非裔美国人来说，内化的种族主义与过去一年符合MDD标准的几率降低有关。我们没有发现日常歧视与内化的种族主义之间的交互作用，也没有发现歧视通过内化的种族主义对过去一年MDD风险产生间接影响。总体而言，我们的研究结果表明，有必要调查歧视影响心理健康的其他潜在机制，并进一步研究内化的种族主义作为一种潜在自我保护策略的潜在因素。最后，我们的研究结果指出，需要开展研究以关注美国黑人人口内部存在的异质性。
