Discrimination in the Workplace Linked to Psychological Distress: A Longitudinal Study in the United States
Elizabeth Keller1, Megan Guardiano, Jian Li
1From the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (E.K., J.L.); School of Nursing, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (M.G., J.L.); and Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (J.L.).
Objective:
This study aimed to explore the relationship between workplace discrimination and psychological distress across 9 years using data from the Midlife in the Unites States study.
Methods:
Workplace discrimination was measured with a validated six-item scale at baseline with three categories (low, intermediate, and high), and psychological distress was measured with the Kessler 6 scale at baseline and follow-up. In total, 1,546 workers were analyzed by linear regression.
Results:
High levels of workplace discrimination were significantly associated with increased psychological distress at follow-up (crude β = 0.633; 95% CI, 0.307-0.959). After adjusting for demographic factors, socioeconomic status, and health-related behaviors, associations were slightly attenuated (fully adjusted β = 0.447; 95% CI, 0.115-0.780).
Conclusions:
High workplace discrimination was longitudinally associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Organizations should actively prevent discrimination, which may improve workers' mental health consequently.
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