Discrimination

From RiCkyPedia

Discrimination Measurement Review Articles

Prepared by: Center for Aging in Diverse Communities (CADC), UCSF

• Williams DR, Mohammed SA. Discrimination and racial disparities in health: evidence and needed research. J Behav Med. 2009 Feb;32(1):20-47. Epub 2008 Nov 22.

This paper provides a comprehensive review and critique of empirical research on perceived discrimination and health. The patterns of racial disparities in health suggest that there are multiple ways by which racism can affect health. Perceived discrimination is one such pathway and the paper reviews the published research on discrimination and health that appeared between 2005 and 2007. This research continues to document an inverse association between discrimination and health in a wide range of contexts and for a broad array of outcomes. Advancing our understanding of the relationship between perceived discrimination and health will require more attention to situating discrimination within the context of other health-relevant aspects of racism, measuring it comprehensively and accurately, assessing its stressful dimensions, and identifying the mechanisms that link discrimination to health.

• Kressin NR, Raymond KL, Manze M. Perceptions of race/ethnicity-based discrimination: a review of measures and evaluation of their usefulness for the health care setting. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2008 Aug;19(3):697-730.

This article reviews the literature over the past 40 years on measures of perceived race/ethnicity-based discrimination and evaluates their characteristics and usefulness in assessing discrimination from health care providers. It identifies 34 measures of racism/discrimination; 16 of which specifically assessed dynamics in health care settings. Few measures were theoretically based; most assessed only general dimensions of racism and focused specifically on the experiences of African American patients. Acceptable psychometric properties were documented for about half of the instruments.

• Paradies Y. A systematic review of empirical research on self-reported racism and health. Int J Epidemiol. 2006 Aug;35(4):888-901. Epub 2006 Apr 3.

This paper reviews 138 quantitative population-based studies of self-reported racism and health. These studies show an association between self-reported racism and ill health for oppressed racial groups after adjustment for a range of confounders. The strongest and most consistent findings are for negative mental health outcomes and health-related behaviours, with weaker associations existing for positive mental health outcomes, self-assessed health status, and physical health outcomes. The field is limited by a dearth of cohort studies, a lack of psychometrically validated exposure instruments, poor conceptualization and definition of racism, conflation of racism with stress, and debate about the aetiologically relevant period for self-reported racism.

Last updated May 2009