Effects of racial/ethnic discrimination on the health status of minority veterans

As the veteran population becomes ethnically diverse, it is important to understand complex interrelationships between racism and health. This study examined the association between perceptions of discrimination and self-reported mental and physical health for Asian/Pacific Islander, African America...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMilitary medicine Vol. 173; no. 4; pp. 331 - 338
Main Authors Sohn, Linda, Harada, Nancy D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Oxford University Press 01.04.2008
Subjects
Ethnic Groups
Female
Health Status
Health Surveys
Humans
Male
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Minority Groups
Prejudice
Psychometrics
Social Perception
Social Support
United States
Veterans
United States
I, Pacific
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Summary:As the veteran population becomes ethnically diverse, it is important to understand complex interrelationships between racism and health. This study examined the association between perceptions of discrimination and self-reported mental and physical health for Asian/Pacific Islander, African American, and Hispanic veterans. The data for this study come from the 2001 Veteran Identity Program Survey, which measured utilization of outpatient care, discrimination, and health status across three minority veteran groups. Multivariate regression methods were used to model self-reported mental and physical health on perceptions of discrimination controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Findings revealed that racial/ethnic discrimination during military service was significantly associated with lower physical, but not mental health. Satisfaction with health care provider's sensitivity toward racial/ethnic background was significantly associated with better mental health. Findings highlight the importance of developing policies that address racial/ethnic discrimination during military service while providing health care services for veterans.
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ISSN:0026-4075
1930-613X
DOI:10.7205/MILMED.173.4.331