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Perceived Discrimination and Mental Well-being in Arab Americans from Southeast Michigan: a Cross-Sectional Study

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Abstract

There is growing evidence for the adverse health effects of structural and individual forms of discrimination in multiple religious, ethnic, and racial groups. Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Arab Americans have experienced increasingly more frequent and visible forms of discrimination. However, the impact of these experiences on their mental well-being requires further investigation. This study examines the association between perceived discrimination and several markers of mental health and well-being, using cross-sectional data from a convenience sample of 279 Arab American adults from southeast Michigan. After adjustment for a series of relevant confounders, perceived discrimination was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (estimate 0.93, 95% CI 0.53, 1.34, p < 0.01), anxiety symptoms (estimate 0.48, 95% CI 0.19, 0.77, p < 0.01), and poor self-rated health (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08, 1.58, p < 0.01). The study highlights the need to address and mitigate health disparities among individuals of Arab descent and improves awareness of the potential health effects of ongoing structural and interpersonal discrimination toward this population.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the clients and staff of ACCESS for their participation in this project.

Funding

This work was financially supported by a pilot project grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholars Program (# 70278).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-2029, USA

    Farah Kader

  2. School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, USA

    Latifa Bazzi & Lilah Khoja

  3. School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, USA

    Fatima Hassan

  4. School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and of Global Public Health, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, USA

    Carlos Mendes de Leon

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  1. Farah Kader
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  5. Carlos Mendes de Leon
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Correspondence to Farah Kader.

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The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Michigan.

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Kader, F., Bazzi, L., Khoja, L. et al. Perceived Discrimination and Mental Well-being in Arab Americans from Southeast Michigan: a Cross-Sectional Study. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 7, 436–445 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-019-00672-y

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