Citation

Finch BK, Hummer RA, Kol B, Vega WA. Hisp. J. Behav. Sci. 2001; 23(4): 399-429.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0739986301234004

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The authors propose that perceived discrimination has an effect on self-reported health statuses, which are known to affect future morbidity and mortality. A sample of 3,012 Mexican-origin adults from the Mexican American Prevalence and Services Study in California is utilized to test this hypothesis. Dependent variables include a self-rating of health and a count of self-reported chronic conditions; the key independent variable is a scale of overall discrimination specific to one's Mexican origin.

RESULTS indicate that discrimination is related to poor physical health--net of controls for acculturation stress, national heritage, sociodemographic variables, and social support. Depression is identified as a major mechanism through which discrimination may affect physical health. Notably, job market stress/discrimination has a very strong association with poorer physical health, net of depression. Individual-level effects of discrimination found in this study, as well as institutional-level conditions and contextual effects, should be treated as crucial to future studies of individual-level physical health differentials.

Language: en