Experiences of ethnic-related discrimination and their influence on the health of Mexican immigrants

The purpose of this complementarity mixed methods study was to provide empirical support for the Ethnic-Related Discrimination Model (ERDM), an integrated version of the Transactional Stress and Coping Model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) and the Model of Racism-related Stress and Wellbeing (Harrell, 2000). Specifically, I sought to identify (a) the discrimination experiences among a sample of Mexican immigrants living in the Midwest, (b) factors that contribute to perceptions of discrimination, (c) the influence of discrimination experiences on health and, (d) the ways participants cope with such experiences and the potential buffering role of these coping efforts. A total of 119 self-identified Mexican immigrants participated in a structured face-to-face individual interviews. Both the qualitative and quantitative findings revealed that the overwhelming majority of the sample perceived some form of ethnic-related discrimination in their daily life and that these experiences, in turn, had a negative influence on their mental health. Results from the hierarchical multiple regression analysis provided partial support for the ERDM. Specifically, results revealed that ethnic-related discrimination was related to greater levels of depression. Although participants reported using both problem- and emotion-focused coping styles to deal with discrimination experiences, neither type of coping was related to health outcomes. Moreover, coping did not moderate the relation between discrimination and health. Implications of the study and future research directions are discussed