The DRUID study: racism and self-assessed health status in an indigenous population
The DRUID study: racism and self-assessed health status in an indigenous population
复制标题
DOI：
10.1186/1471-2458-12-131
复制
发表时间：
2012-02-14
影响因子：
4.5
通讯作者：
Cunningham, Joan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Paradies, Yin C.;Cunningham, Joan
背景：现在来自世界各地的大量证据表明，种族主义与心理和身体健康都有关。然而，人们对种族主义和健康不良之间的中介因素知之甚少。本文调查了澳大利亚土著居民中种族主义与自评身心健康之间的关系，以及这些关系的潜在中介因素。方法：达尔文地区城市土著糖尿病(DRUID)研究中的164名成年人完成了一份有效的人际种族主义评估工具和一个关于歧视相关压力的单独项目。使用SF-12测量自我评估的健康状况。压力、乐观、缺乏控制力、社会关系、文化认同和对人际种族主义的反应/反应被认为是种族主义/歧视与自评健康状况之间关系的中介和调节变量。结果：在调整了社会人口因素后，人际种族主义与SF-12的心理(而不是身体)健康部分显著相关。作为对种族主义的反应，压力、缺乏控制力和无能为力是种族主义和一般心理健康之间关系的重要调停者。在与歧视相关的压力中也有类似的发现。结论：种族主义/歧视与该土著人口的总体心理健康状况显著相关。这项研究确定了种族主义和心理健康之间的中介因素，这表明了改善种族主义对健康的有害影响的新方法。特别是，必须减少与种族主义有关的压力，提高总体掌握水平，最大限度地减少负面社会关系，以减轻种族主义的负面后果。
Background: There is now considerable evidence from around the world that racism is associated with both mental and physical ill-health. However, little is known about the mediating factors between racism and ill-health. This paper investigates relationships between racism and self-assessed mental and physical health among Indigenous Australians as well as potential mediators of these relationships.Methods: A total of 164 adults in the Darwin Region Urban Indigenous Diabetes (DRUID) study completed a validated instrument assessing interpersonal racism and a separate item on discrimination-related stress. Self-assessed health status was measured using the SF-12. Stress, optimism, lack of control, social connections, cultural identity and reactions/responses to interpersonal racism were considered as mediators and moderators of the relationship between racism/discrimination and self-assessed health status.Results: After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, interpersonal racism was significantly associated with the SF-12 mental (but not the physical) health component. Stress, lack of control and feeling powerless as a reaction to racism emerged as significant mediators of the relationship between racism and general mental health. Similar findings emerged for discrimination-related stress.Conclusions: Racism/discrimination is significantly associated with poor general mental health among this indigenous population. The mediating factors between racism and mental health identified in this study suggest new approaches to ameliorating the detrimental effects of racism on health. In particular, the importance of reducing racism-related stress, enhancing general levels of mastery, and minimising negative social connections in order to ameliorate the negative consequences of racism.