Perceived discrimination and health: The mediating effect of social capital

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Résumé (français)

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Résumé (anglais)

While much research has been conducted on perceived discrimination as a determinant of racial disparities in health, there is limited knowledge concerning the effect of perceived discrimination on health and the factors that may mediate this relationship among newcomers to Canada. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of perceived discrimination and social capital on health. Specifically, we explored whether social capital mediated the association between perceived discrimination and health. Data were derived from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) 2001-2005, a survey designed to capture the factors that may bolster or hinder the settlement process. A series of logistic regression analyses were undertaken to examine the role of social capital (social network density and diversity) on the relationship between perceived discrimination and health (poor self-assessed health, emotional, and physical health problems), with appropriate adjustment for known confounds. The data showed that exposure to discrimination had a negative effect on emotional health and, to a lesser extent, self-assessed and physical health. Results also indicated that this main effect occurs even at low exposure levels to discrimination. In general, there was a main effect of social network density and diversity on the health outcomes. Neither social network density nor diversity mediated the association between perceived discrimination and health. findings suggest that perceived discrimination and social capital have unique and independent effects on the health of newcomers to Canada.