"Racial discrimination has different mental health effects"

"Racial discrimination has different mental health effects"
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008200805100303.htm

Washington: The first national study of Asians living in the UnitedStates shows that for some individuals, strong ties to theirethnicity can guard against the negative effects of racism. Forothers, strong ties to ethnicity can actually make the negativeeffects of discrimination worse. And the mental health effects ofsuch discrimination may shift over a lifetime as Asian-Americanscontinue to examine their ethnic ties, say researchers.Anti-Asian racism is prevalent in the United States but research intothe psychological ramifications of those experiences is scarce, saidlead author Tiffany Yip, PhD, of Fordham University. Using the firstnationally representative sample of Asian adults in the UnitedStates, Yip, Gilbert C. Gee, PhD, of the University of California LosAngeles, and David T. Takeuchi, PhD, of the University of Washington,examined whether ethnic identity protected a person against thenegative effects of discrimination and whether age and birthplacealso played a role.These findings are published in the May issue of DevelopmentalPsychology, published by the American Psychological Association.Data came from the National Latino and Asian American Study, ahousehold survey conducted between 2002 and 2003 that included 2,047Asian adults 18-75 years old. The interviews were conducted at theparticipants' homes in a variety of languages, including Cantonese,Mandarin, Tagalog and Vietnamese.The participants were questioned about any negative feelings they mayhave had in the previous 30 days. Participants were also asked abouttheir perceptions of racial and ethnic discrimination. They wereasked how often they felt discriminated against because of their raceand how close they felt their ideas and feelings were to other peopleof the same racial and ethnic descent.The researchers controlled for socioeconomic status, gender, age atimmigration and where the participants lived. Overall, theresearchers found that discrimination was associated withpsychological distress; respondents said they felt depressed moreoften if they had been discriminated against.The analysis uncovered an unexpected result when the researcherslooked at age and whether the participant was born in the UnitedStates. For those born outside the United States, embracing one'sethnic identity did not guard against the negative effects ofdiscrimination on psychological wellness. However, for Asians born inthe United States, ethnic attachment did affect whetherdiscrimination made people feel more distressed, and its effectvaried by age. "Among adults in their 40s, feeling strongly abouttheir own background can counteract the negative effects ofdiscrimination," said Yip.Surprisingly, more analysis showed that U.S.-born participants intheir 30s and those above the age of 50 who described themselves ashaving a strong ethnic identity had more mental distress fromdiscrimination than those participants with a weaker ethnicattachment. "This may be because people in their forties, who areentering middle age, cope more effectively with stress and are betterable to deal with emotional reactions to negative events, such asracism," said Yip. However, research has suggested that as peopleenter their 50s, they are actively trying to maximize happiness andminimize unhappiness, so experiencing discrimination during this timemay be especially harmful for people who have a strong sense ofconnection to their ethnic background.The researchers acknowledge that much more work needs to be done tounderstand how discrimination influences psychological well-being. "Abetter understanding of these issues could help us create resourcesthat can protect against racial discrimination in this country,especially for those who are not born in the United States," saidYip.