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Workplace Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms: A Study of Multi-Ethnic Hospital Employees

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Abstract

Workplace discrimination reports have recently increased in the U.S. Few studies have examined racial/ethnic differences and the mental health consequences of this exposure. We examined the association between self-reported workplace discrimination and depressive symptoms among a multi-ethnic sample of hospital employees. Data came from the prospective case–control Gradients of Occupational Health in Hospital Workers (GROW) study (N = 664). We used the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) to assess depressive symptoms and measured the occurrence, types, and frequency of workplace discrimination. African Americans were more likely than other racial/ethnic employees to report frequent and multiple types of discrimination exposure. Multivariate relationships were examined while controlling for socio-demographic factors, job strain, and general social stressors. After adjustment, workplace discrimination occurrence and frequency were positively associated with depressive symptoms. The positive association between workplace discrimination and depressive symptoms was similar across racial and ethnic groups. Reducing workplace discrimination may improve psychosocial functioning among racial/ethnic minority hospital employees at greatest risk of exposure.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, (Grant R01 AR47798-01). The first author is supported by the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities (Award 1L60MD002605-01), the National Cancer Institute (Grant 3U01CA114629-04S2), and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Cancer Research Fund. The authors would like to thank Drs. Noel Brewer, Edwin B. Fisher, and Brenda DeVellis for their comments on earlier versions of this manuscript. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Nestor Lopez-Duran for statistical consultation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 334B Rosenau Hall, CB #7440, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Wizdom Powell Hammond

  2. Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, EHS, University of California, Berkeley, 50 University Hall, #7360, Berkeley, CA, 94720-7360, USA

    Marion Gillen

  3. Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 335, Box 0856, San Francisco, CA, 94143-0856, USA

    Irene H. Yen

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Correspondence to Wizdom Powell Hammond.

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Hammond, W.P., Gillen, M. & Yen, I.H. Workplace Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms: A Study of Multi-Ethnic Hospital Employees. Race Soc Probl 2, 19–30 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-010-9024-0

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