Effects of Perceived Discrimination on Health Outcomes

Discrimination can be operationalized as negative treatment based on one’s group membership. Chronic perceived discrimination can contribute to negative life outcomes such as high neuroticism (Sutin \u26 Stephan, 2016) and poor health (Perales, 2016). Social Identity Theory (Tajfel \u26 Turner, 1979) posits that self-esteem partially stems from social groups, suggesting that the importance of group membership may act as a buffer between perceived discrimination and mental health. High levels of social support can also act as a buffer, lowering rates of depression (Jeong et al., 2010). 146 participants across the United States completed measures assessing perceived discrimination, importance of group membership, social support, and general health. Neither identity importance nor social support moderated the effects of perceived discrimination on health outcomes. However, in support of previous research, higher rates of perceived discrimination predicted worse health outcomes, whereas higher rates of social support predicted better health outcomes. Heterosexual individuals also reported better health outcomes compared to non-heterosexual individuals