Department of Sociology, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI.
Hawaii J Health Soc Welf. 2021 Nov;80(11):270-275.
Racism is a public health crisis-yet our knowledge remains limited about how different racial and ethnic groups cope with the stress of discrimination across the United States. Research suggests that ethnic identity plays a role in the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to focus on whether a strong Japanese identity in Hawai'i can buffer the stress of discrimination to protect mental health. Data were from an anonymous survey of 222 students who self-identified as Japanese at a university in Hawai'i. The average age was 21 years, about half (53%) were women, and 10% were foreign-born. Less than half (42%) of the students self-reported ever experiencing discrimination in a lifetime due to race/ethnicity. However, non-specific unfair treatment based on the Everyday Discrimination Scale was self-reported by most students (90%). It primarily included being treated with less respect or courtesy than other people and people acting as if they were better than them. Levels of ethnic identity were assessed with the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (mean, 2.07; range, 0-3). A statistically significant interaction effect was observed (ß = -0.50; P < .01), indicating a stronger ethnic identity counteracted the psychological distress associated with everyday discrimination. This finding suggested that strong Japanese identity, which involves pride and knowledge, participation in cultural practices, and a sense of belonging to one's ethnic group, can buffer the stress of frequent experiences of unfair treatment.
种族主义是一场公共卫生危机——然而，我们对于不同种族和族裔群体如何应对美国各地歧视带来的压力，了解仍然有限。研究表明，族裔认同在感知歧视与心理健康问题之间的关系中起着作用。本研究的目的是关注在夏威夷，强烈的日本认同是否可以缓冲歧视带来的压力，从而保护心理健康。数据来自夏威夷一所大学对 222 名自我认同为日本人的学生进行的匿名调查。平均年龄为 21 岁，约一半（53%）为女性，10%为外国出生。由于种族/族裔，不到一半（42%）的学生报告一生中曾经历过歧视。然而，大多数学生报告了基于日常歧视量表的非特定不公平待遇（90%）。它主要包括受到比其他人更少的尊重或礼貌对待，以及人们表现得好像他们比他们更好。族裔认同水平通过多群体族裔认同量表进行评估（平均值 2.07；范围 0-3）。观察到一个具有统计学意义的交互效应（β=-0.50；P<.01），表明更强的族裔认同抵消了与日常歧视相关的心理困扰。这一发现表明，强烈的日本认同，包括自豪感和知识、参与文化实践以及对自己族裔群体的归属感，可以缓冲频繁经历不公平待遇带来的压力。
