Does Religion Buffer the Effects of Discrimination on Mental Health? Differing Effects by Race

Much research has shown that experiences of discrimination are negatively related to mental health. In this study, a national probability survey of whites and African Americans at midlife is used to examine whether attendance at religious services and religious comfort seeking protect people from the effects of discrimination on mental health, and if the protective power of religion varies by race. Results show that reports of discrimination are related to greater negative affect and less positive affect, but only attendance at religious services moderates this relationship, and then only for African Americans' negative affect. The historical involvement of African-American religious bodies in combating discrimination may help to explain the specificity of these moderating effects.     

情绪劳动与心理健康的关系:工作倦怠的中介作用

主要探讨情绪劳动与心理健康的关系以及工作倦怠对二者关系的中介作用。采用情绪劳动量表、心理健康量表和工作倦怠量表对山东省5家医院的200名护士进行问卷调查。结果表明,情绪劳动与心理健康呈显著负相关,对心理健康具有显著的负向预测作用,具体表现为对躯体化、焦虑、妄想和精神病性有负向预测作用;情绪劳动与工作倦怠呈显著正相关,对工作倦怠具有显著的正向预测作用,表现在情绪衰竭和去人格化两个方面。工作倦怠是情绪劳动与心理健康关系的中介变量,工作倦怠对情绪劳动与心理健康之间的关系具有完全中介作用,情绪劳动通过工作倦怠间接影响心理健康。     

The Association between Religious Discrimination and Health: Disaggregating by Types of Discrimination Experiences,Religious Tradition,and Forms of Health

Research finds that experiences of religious discrimination are often associated with poorer health outcomes. However, there remain important questions to consider gaps, including whether religious discrimination has similar health impacts on religious minority groups and religious majority groups, whether religious discrimination is equally harmful for both mental and physical health, and whether specific types of discrimination have different impacts on health. Using survey data from a probability sample of U.S. adults and measures representing a variety of discrimination experience types, our analyses suggest that religious discrimination is indeed harmful for health, but that experiences of religious discrimination do not universally affect mental and physical health in the same ways. Rather than significant differences in the health impacts of religious discrimination across different religious groups, we find more variation in the health impacts of different types of experiences with discrimination. Further, we find that mental health is negatively impacted by a wider range of experiences with religious discrimination than physical health. These findings are in line with social psychological research on the differential health impacts of discrimination, and they highlight the importance of context in studies of the health effects of religious discrimination.     

Cognitive and emotional covariates of violence exposure among former prisoners: links to antisocial behavior and emotional distress and implications for theory

In this study, formerly incarcerated men (N = 123) were assessed for their experiences with violence in the community as well as their current behavioral and mental health status (antisocial behavior and emotional distress). Participants also completed measures of two constructs theorized to moderate relations between exposure to violence and outcomes: cognitive beliefs supporting aggressive responding and negative emotional reactivity to witnessed violence. Data on key social-demographic background factors affecting outcomes were also collected. Analyses showed that, after controlling the effects of background factors, relationships between experiences with violence in the community and behavioral/mental health were moderated by cognitive beliefs and emotional reactivity. At high levels of support for aggressive responding, significant positive links were observed between exposure to violence and antisocial behavior as well as emotional distress. At high levels of negative reactivity to violence, a significant positive link was observed between exposure to violence and emotional distress (but not antisocial behavior). Findings are discussed with respect to research and theory on the effects of exposure to violence in high-risk adult populations.     

流动儿童歧视知觉与心理健康关系的元分析

本研究基于心理健康双因素模型,通过运用元分析技术探讨流动儿童歧视知觉与各项心理健康指标的关系,以及调节变量对二者关系的影响,以期为提升流动儿童心理健康提供有效借鉴。经过文献检索和筛选,共纳入原始文献3篇,含49个独立样本,被试总数达到40351名。根据同质性检验结果,选择随机效应模型分析发现,流动儿童歧视知觉与积极心理健康指标存在中等程度的负相关(r=-0.323,95%CI为[-0.378,-0.266]),与消极心理健康指标存在中等程度的正相关(r = 0.41, 95%CI为[0.36,0.458])。流动儿童歧视知觉测量工具、学龄段对流动儿童歧视知觉与积极心理健康的关系存在显著的调节效应,而对流动儿童歧视知觉与消极心理健康的关系不存在显著的调节效应。同时,元回归分析结果发现,性别对二者的关系不存在显著的调节效应。后续研究应该进一步探索流动儿童歧视知觉与心理健康间的调节变量,结合中国流动儿童心理发展特点, 探索提升流动儿童心理健康水平的新路径。     

歧视知觉与心理健康的关系:基于中国留守儿童的元分析

研究以心理健康双因素模型为视角,运用元分析技术梳理了留守儿童歧视知觉与积极和消极心理健康的关系,并探究了影响其关系的调节变量。通过文献检索与筛选,共27篇中英文文献,56个独立样本纳入元分析,包含被试17146名。结果显示,歧视知觉与积极心理健康指标呈显著的负相关关系(r=-0.298),与消极心理健康指标呈显著的正相关关系(r=0.365)。调节效应分析发现,留守儿童歧视知觉与积极心理健康的关系受到歧视知觉测量工具的影响,与消极心理健康的关系受到歧视知觉测量工具、学龄段以及消极结果类型的影响。同时,元回归分析发现,文献年份对歧视知觉与积极心理健康指标关系的调节效应显著; 性别对歧视知觉与积极和消极心理健康关系的调节作用均不显著。研究结果进一步明确了留守儿童歧视知觉与积极和消极心理健康的关系,为探索提升留守儿童心理社会适应的新路径提供了借鉴。     

Emotional reactions,coping and long‐term consequences of perceived discrimination among the Mapuche people of Chile

Although a substantial body of research has now documented the negative mental and physical health impacts of discrimination on various minority/non‐dominant groups, little has been reported on the impacts of such discrimination on indigenous populations. In this study, we investigated the self‐reported emotional reactions, coping responses and long‐term impacts of discriminatory experiences among 50 Mapuche adults in Chile. The limited literature suggests that a substantial proportion of the Chilean majority society is prejudiced and discriminatory towards the indigenous Mapuche population, and that the Mapuche experience discrimination. Interviews with participants indicated that discrimination was psychologically wounding, and aroused anger, undifferentiated bad feelings, shame and a sense of powerlessness. Participants responded with self‐protective, self‐controlled or confronting actions. Although negative long‐term effects were reported, ethnic re‐affirmation and strengthening of bonds within the Mapuche community were positive outcomes that seem to provide resilience for the participants. This does not discount however, the need for more research assessing the impacts of discrimination in Chile nor the need for anti‐discrimination measures to be implemented. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Maltreatment experiences and mental health indicators among elite athletes

This study explored the relationships between athletes’ experiences of maltreatment and mental health indicators. Canadian National Team athletes completed an online, anonymous survey that assessed reported experiences of maltreatment (psychological, physical, sexual harm and neglect), and mental health indicators of well-being, eating disorders and self-harming behaviours. All forms of maltreatment had a significant, positive correlation with eating disorder and self-harming behaviours, and a negative correlation with well-being. The relationships between maltreatment and mental health indicators differed based on identity characteristics of the athletes. Further work is needed on the prevention and intervention of maltreatment in sport to reduce the behaviours associated with negative health outcomes.     

Weight-based discrimination,body dissatisfaction and emotional eating: The role of perceived social consensus

Objective: Discrimination can have a negative impact on psychological well-being, attitudes and behaviour. This research evaluates the impact of experiences of weight-based discrimination upon emotional eating and body dissatisfaction, and also explores whether people's beliefs about an ingroup's social consensus concerning how favourably overweight people are regarded can moderate the relationship between experiences of discrimination and negative eating and weight-related cognitions and behaviours.

Research methods and procedures: 197 undergraduate students completed measures about their experiences of weight-based discrimination, emotional eating and body dissatisfaction. Participants also reported their beliefs concerning an ingroup's attitude towards overweight people.

Results: Recollections of weight-based discrimination significantly contributed to emotional eating and body dissatisfaction. However, the relationships between experiencing discrimination and body dissatisfaction and emotional eating were weakest amongst participants who believed that the ingroup held a positive attitude towards overweight people.

Discussion: Beliefs about ingroup social consensus concerning overweight people can influence the relationships between weight-based discrimination and emotional eating and body dissatisfaction. Changing group perceptions to perceive it to be unacceptable to discriminate against overweight people may help to protect victims of discrimination against the negative consequences of weight-based stigma.     

Family Contexts: Parental Experiences of Discrimination and Child Mental Health

Research on the mental health correlates of discrimination traditionally has been intra-individual, focusing exclusively on the individual directly experiencing discrimination. A small number of studies have begun to consider the links between parental experiences of discrimination and child mental health, but little is known about potential underlying mechanisms. The present study tested the independent mediating effects of parent mental health and household socioeconomic status on the associations between parental experiences of discrimination (past-year perceived discrimination and perceptions of being unaccepted culturally) and child mental health (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) using a bootstrapping analytic approach. Data were drawn from racial/ethnic minority (n = 383) and White (n = 574) samples surveyed in an urban Midwestern county. For all measures of discrimination and child mental health, findings supported an association between parental experiences of discrimination and child mental health. Whereas parent mental health served as a significant mediator in all analyses, socioeconomic status did not. Mediation findings held for both the White and racial/ethnic minority samples. Results suggest that parental experiences of discrimination and mental health may contribute to child mental health concerns, thus highlighting the role of family contexts in shaping child development.     

大学生的情绪向性、表达性与心理健康关系的研究

采用量表法以170名大学生为被试研究了情绪向性(分正、负向情感变量)、情绪表达性和心理健康的关系.差异检验表明:男性的负向情感多于女性,情感表达不如女性,在正向情感、快乐感上无显著性别差异;大一学生的快乐感多于大四学生,在正、负向情感、情绪表达性上无显著年级差异.(2)相关分析表明:快乐感、正向情感与多数心理症状因子呈显著负相关,负向情感与所有心理症状因子呈显著正相关;情绪表达性与人际敏感、敌对、抑郁、焦虑等因子呈显著负相关.(3)回归分析进一步表明:负向情感对强迫、人际关系、抑郁、焦虑、敌对、偏执等因子均构成显著回归效应,情绪表达对人际敏感、敌对、抑郁、焦虑等因子构成回归效应.     

中国背景下情绪智力与心理健康关系的元分析

本研究使用元分析的方法探讨了情绪智力与心理健康的关系（包括心理健康症状学指标、感知到的压力、应对方式、社会适应及主观幸福感）,共纳入104篇文献,151个独立样本和75754名被试。结果发现,个体情绪智力与积极应对、社会适应以及主观幸福感呈现显著正相关,与心理健康症状学指标、感知到的压力以及消极应对呈现显著负相关。此外,情绪智力与心理健康的关系受到出版年代、被试年龄、情绪智力理论模型和测量工具的调节作用。结论表明,情绪智力与积极心理健康变量的联系强于与消极心理健康变量的联系,且存在较长时期的稳定性。     

Specificity of Discrimination: Does It Matter From Whence It Comes?1

The negative effects of discrimination on those who are stigmatized are well documented. What is less clear, however, is whether the source of the discrimination has differential outcomes on the person being discriminated against. Survey results from 685 injecting drug users (IDUs) revealed that IDUs who experienced discrimination from healthcare workers had poorer physical health, whereas physical health was unrelated to experiences of discrimination by those outside the healthcare system (family, friends, and partners). In contrast, IDUs' mental health status was less sensitive to the source of discrimination. Discrimination by healthcare workers and by others outside the healthcare industry were both related to IDUs' mental health. Implications and limitations of this research are discussed.     

自古圣贤皆“寂寞”?——独处及相关研究

独处(solitude)是指个体与外界无互动,或意识上与他人分离,并能够自由选择个人身心活动的状态.与孤独感只能体验到消极情绪不同,独处是一种能够容纳不同情绪体验的开放性客观状态,对个体有积极的建设性意义.目前关于独处的研究方法主要有自我报告法和经验取样法.研究发现随着年龄增长,个体用于独处的时间增加,并对独处的态度更为积极.独处对个体的心理健康、创造力和自我整合等方面均有积极的促进作用.未来的研究应进一步明确独处的构成,考察独处的发展机制、独处的文化差异,而独处的大脑神经机制将是该领域一个比较有价值的研究方向.     

Online racial discrimination and the protective function of ethnic identity and self-esteem for African American adolescents

A growing body of literature has shown that being victimized online is associated with poor mental health. Little is known about the factors that protect youth from the negative outcomes that may result from these victimization experiences, particularly those related to race. Using a risk and resilience framework, this study examined the protective function of ethnic identity and self-esteem among African Americans who experience online racial discrimination. For the sample of 125 adolescents, hierarchical regression results revealed that higher levels of ethnic identity and self-esteem significantly moderated the negative impact of online racial discrimination on anxiety levels. These findings show that ethnic identity and self-esteem can buffer the negative mental health outcomes associated with online racial discrimination, at least with respect to adolescents' anxiety. Findings from the current study have significant implications for adolescent adjustment given the increased time youth spend doing online activities.     

The Impact of Perceived Discrimination on Mental Health Among Chinese Migrant and Left-Behind Children: A Meta-analysis

In China, rural–urban migration is one of major influences on the mental health of migrant and left-behind children. Literature suggests that the perception of discrimination is an important factor that influences the mental health of these children. The present research explores (1) whether migrant children and left-behind children are different in the relationship between the perception of discrimination and mental health, and (2) whether the relationship between the perception of discrimination and mental health of these children is moderated by gender and age. Using a meta-analytic technique, the authors included 26 studies (generating 48 independent samples) with a total sample size of 28,883 participants. Results showed that the perception of discrimination of migrant children was negatively correlated with positive indicators of mental health, and it has a stronger effect than left-behind children; the perception of discrimination of migrant children was positively correlated with negative indicators of mental health, and it has a weaker effect than left-behind children. Additionally, gender moderated the relationship between the perception of discrimination and the positive indicators of mental health among left-behind children, while age moderated such relationship among migrant children.

     

Positively biased appraisals in everyday life: when do they benefit mental health and when do they harm it?

To promote optimal mental health, is it best to evaluate negative experiences accurately or in a positively biased manner? In an attempt to reconcile inconsistent prior research addressing this question, we predicted that the tendency to form positively biased appraisals of negative experiences may reduce the motive to address those experiences and thereby lead to poorer mental health in the context of negative experiences that are controllable and severe but lead to better mental health in the context of controllable negative experiences that are less severe by promoting positive feelings without invoking serious consequences from unaddressed problems. In 2 longitudinal studies, individuals in new marriages were interviewed separately about their ongoing stressful experiences, and their own appraisals of those experiences were compared with those of the interviewers. Across studies, spouses' tendencies to form positively biased appraisals of their stressful experiences predicted fewer depressive symptoms over the subsequent 4 years among individuals judged to be facing relatively mild experiences but more depressive symptoms among individuals judged to be facing relatively severe experiences. Furthermore, in Study 2, these effects were mediated by changes in those experiences, such that the interaction between the tendency to form positively biased appraisals of stressful experiences and the objectively rated severity of initial levels of those experiences directly predicted changes in those experiences, which in turn accounted for changes in depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that cognitive biases are not inherently positive or negative; their implications for mental health depend on the context in which they occur.     

Curiosity about a positive or negative event prolongs the duration of emotional experience

Some researchers claim that uncertainty prolongs the duration of emotional experiences because uncertainty toward an emotion-eliciting event prolongs attention to that event. However, some results contradict this claim. We assumed that curiosity rather than uncertainty prolongs the duration of emotional experience via attention, and that attention and emotional experience are prolonged only when uncertainty elicits curiosity. This assumption is based on the information gap theory, which proposes that curiosity increases with uncertainty, but that curiosity decreases at a certain level of uncertainty. We conducted a survey study to investigate the relationships among curiosity, uncertainty, attention and duration of positive and negative emotional experiences. The results showed that curiosity, but not uncertainty, prolonged the duration of emotional experiences and the process was completely mediated by attention both for positive and negative emotions. Moreover, uncertainty prolonged the duration of emotional experiences only when uncertainty elicited curiosity, which in turn prolonged attention to the emotion-eliciting event.     

The impact of perceived racial discrimination on the mental health of Asian American and Latino college students

The authors examined the impact of perceived racial discrimination on various mental health outcomes for Asian American and Latino college students within an emic and etic framework. Results indicate that Asian American and Latino college students experienced similar exposure and reactions to various kinds of discrimination. However, Latino students were more likely than Asian American students to have been accused of doing something wrong, such as cheating and breaking the law, and more likely to appraise these experiences as stressful. Asian Americans evidenced higher risk for trait anxiety. Regardless of ethnicity, perceived racial discrimination was associated with several negative mental health outcomes, including higher psychological distress, suicidal ideation, state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression. Findings highlight the need to address discrimination across multiple social and professional settings and to understand the broad array of mental health outcomes.