Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, GH305, 11 Yuk Choi Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
College of Psychology and Sociology, Shenzhen University, Room 517, Technology Building, 3688 Nanhai Ave., Shenzhen, 518060, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Mar 20;16(6):1025. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16061025.
Using data from a representative sample of Chinese adults who were surveyed in the Hong Kong Panel Study of Social Dynamics (HKPSSD), we estimate the effects of neighborhood discrimination towards immigrants from Mainland China on the mental health of Chinese residents in Hong Kong. Contrary to our expectations, discrimination towards immigrants from Mainland China measured at the neighborhood level is not associated with the poor mental health of post-1997 immigrants; instead, a higher level of immigrant discrimination is associated with a lower level of psychological distress for both post-1997 Mainland immigrants and other Chinese residents in Hong Kong. A functional family also appears to be a consistent predictor of better mental health for both groups. Our findings, therefore, suggest that immigrant discrimination can signify a prejudice that leads to social distance or avoidance and that the post-1997 Mainland immigrants do not have extensive contact with other local residents in Hong Kong. Although local residents' discriminatory attitudes may not result in aggressive behaviors that have a negative impact on newcomers' mental health, the social distance between the immigrants and the local residents is still an issue that requires further research and practical attention.
利用香港社会动态面板研究（HKPSSD）中调查的具有代表性的中国成年人数据，我们估计了社区对中国大陆移民的歧视对香港中国居民心理健康的影响。与我们的预期相反，社区层面上针对中国大陆移民的歧视与 1997 年后移民的心理健康状况不佳无关；相反，较高水平的移民歧视与 1997 年后来自中国大陆的移民和香港其他中国居民的心理困扰程度降低有关。一个功能健全的家庭似乎也是两组人更好心理健康的一致预测因素。因此，我们的研究结果表明，移民歧视可能代表一种偏见，导致社会疏远或回避，而 1997 年后来自中国大陆的移民与香港的其他当地居民没有广泛接触。尽管当地居民的歧视态度可能不会导致对新移民心理健康产生负面影响的攻击性行为，但移民与当地居民之间的社会距离仍然是一个需要进一步研究和实际关注的问题。
