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Discrimination and the stress response: Psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interethnic interactions

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  • Sawyer, P.J.
  • Major, B.
  • Casad, B.J.
  • Townsend, S.S.M.
  • Mendes, W.B.

Abstract

Objectives. We sought to demonstrate that individuals who anticipate interacting with a prejudiced cross-race/ethnicity partner show an exacerbated stress response, as measured through both self-report and hemodynamic and vascular responses, compared with individuals anticipating interacting with a nonprejudiced cross-race/ethnicity partner. Methods. Through a questionnaire exchange with a White interaction partner (a confederate) Latina participants learned that their partner had racial/ethnic biased or egalitarian attitudes. Latina participants reported their cognitive and emotional states, and cardiovascular responses were measured while participants prepared and delivered a speech to the White confederate. Results. Participants who believed that their interaction partner held prejudiced attitudes reported greater concern and more threat emotions before the interaction, and more stress after the interaction, and showed greater cardiovascular response than did participants who believed that their partner had egalitarian attitudes. Conclusions. This study shows that merely anticipating prejudice leads to both psychological and cardiovascular stress responses. These results are consistent with the conceptualization of anticipated discrimination as a stressor and suggest that vigilance for prejudice may be a contributing factor to racial/ethnic health disparities in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Sawyer, P.J. & Major, B. & Casad, B.J. & Townsend, S.S.M. & Mendes, W.B., 2012. "Discrimination and the stress response: Psychological and physiological consequences of anticipating prejudice in interethnic interactions," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(5), pages 1020-1026.
  • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2011.300620_6
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300620
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    Cited by:

    1. Liat Ayalon, 2018. "Perceived Age Discrimination: A Precipitator or a Consequence of Depressive Symptoms?," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(5), pages 860-869.
    2. Rim, Hyunseo & Kim, Jinho, 2024. "The influence of perceptions of gender discrimination in the workplace on depressive symptoms among Korean working women: The moderating role of job satisfaction," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 341(C).
    3. Carr, Joel & James, Jonathan & Clifton-Sprigg, Joanna & Vujic, Suncica, 2022. "Hate in the Time of COVID-19: Racial Crimes against East Asians," IZA Discussion Papers 15718, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Chae, David H. & Clouston, Sean & Martz, Connor D. & Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Cooper, Hannah L.F. & Turpin, Rodman & Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth & Kramer, Michael R., 2018. "Area racism and birth outcomes among Blacks in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 49-55.
    5. Leitner, Jordan B. & Hehman, Eric & Ayduk, Ozlem & Mendoza-Denton, Rodolfo, 2016. "Racial bias is associated with ingroup death rate for Blacks and Whites: Insights from Project Implicit," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 220-227.
    6. Scheim, Ayden I. & Bauer, Greta R., 2019. "The Intersectional Discrimination Index: Development and validation of measures of self-reported enacted and anticipated discrimination for intercategorical analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 225-235.
    7. Katrina D Hopkins & Carrington C J Shepherd & Catherine L Taylor & Stephen R Zubrick, 2015. "Relationships between Psychosocial Resilience and Physical Health Status of Western Australian Urban Aboriginal Youth," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-16, December.
    8. Tianyuan Luo & Genti Kostandini, 2023. "Omnibus or Ominous immigration laws? Immigration policy and mental health of the Hispanic population," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 90-106, January.
    9. Luca Fumarco & Benjamin Harrell & Patrick Button & David Schwegman & E Dils, 2020. "Gender Identity, Race, and Ethnicity-based Discrimination in Access to Mental Health Care: Evidence from an Audit Correspondence Field Experiment," NBER Working Papers 28164, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Gearhart, Michael C. & Berg, Kristen & Barnhart, Sheila & Bender, Annah & Jones, Courtney, 2023. "Police behaviors and procedural justice: Testing predictors of police-initiated post-traumatic stress symptoms," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    11. Sabo, Samantha & Shaw, Susan & Ingram, Maia & Teufel-Shone, Nicolette & Carvajal, Scott & de Zapien, Jill Guernsey & Rosales, Cecilia & Redondo, Flor & Garcia, Gina & Rubio-Goldsmith, Raquel, 2014. "Everyday violence, structural racism and mistreatment at the US–Mexico border," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 66-74.
    12. Kim, Jinho & Song, Kyungeun & Sutin, Angelina R., 2021. "Gender differences in the relationship between perceived discrimination and personality traits in young adulthood: Evidence using sibling fixed effects," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    13. Hicken, Margaret T. & Lee, Hedwig & Hing, Anna K., 2018. "The weight of racism: Vigilance and racial inequalities in weight-related measures," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 157-166.
    14. Cubbin, Catherine & Kim, Yeonwoo & Vohra-Gupta, Shetal & Margerison, Claire, 2020. "Longitudinal measures of neighborhood poverty and income inequality are associated with adverse birth outcomes in Texas," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    15. Schwartz, Joseph A., 2017. "Long-term physical health consequences of perceived inequality: Results from a twin comparison design," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 184-192.
    16. Lukachko, Alicia & Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Keyes, Katherine M., 2014. "Structural racism and myocardial infarction in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 42-50.
    17. Jackson, Pamela & Spector, Antoinette L. & Strath, Larissa J. & Antoine, Lisa H. & Li, Peng & Goodin, Burel R. & Hidalgo, Bertha A. & Kempf, Mirjam-Colette & Gonzalez, Cesar E. & Jones, Alana C. & Fos, 2023. "Epigenetic age acceleration mediates the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and pain severity in adults with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis pain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    18. Cha-Nam Shin & Erica Soltero & Scherezade K. Mama & Christopher Sunseri & Rebecca E. Lee, 2017. "Association of Discrimination and Stress With Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Ethnic Minority Women," Clinical Nursing Research, , vol. 26(6), pages 694-712, December.
    19. Sinthujaa Sampasivam & Katherine Anne Collins & Catherine Bielajew & Richard Clément, 2016. "The Effects of Outgroup Threat and Opportunity to Derogate on Salivary Cortisol Levels," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-13, June.
    20. Gottlieb, Aaron & Wilson, Robert, 2019. "The effect of direct and vicarious police contact on the educational achievement of urban teens," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 190-199.

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