Immigrants who perceive that they are being discriminated against may suffer serious effects on their physical and emotional health, according to a study published in the journal PLoS One, which involved the participation of the Jordi Gol Primary Care Research Institute (IDIAPJGol). The study also identifies emotions related to perceived discrimination, coping strategies, and behavioral changes. The research is based on a qualitative analysis of 102 in-depth interviews conducted with newly arrived migrants.
The interviewees expressed various negative emotions related to perceived discrimination, including disgust, sadness, fear, loneliness, humiliation, a sense of injustice, anger, or feeling undervalued or vulnerable.
Behavioral changes
The study also identified behavioral changes among these individuals linked to feeling discriminated against, such as Westernization or cultural assimilation, concern for creating a good image, withdrawal, hypervigilance, refraining from political participation, self-sufficiency, positive adaptation, and, paradoxically, a tendency to oppress others.
In addition, the researchers identified strategies that newly arrived migrants adopt to cope with perceived discrimination. Among these defense mechanisms are ignoring the situation, isolation, self-medication, participating in community activities, insulting the oppressor or attempting to dialogue with them, filing complaints, physical aggression, crying, or sarcasm. The consequences of perceived discrimination include stress and anxiety, mental health problems and addictions, as well as mood disturbances.
Felipe Villalobos, an IDIAPJGol researcher who collaborated on this study with the MigraSalud group at Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu, highlights that the results of the work warn of “the need to implement public measures to prevent and address the effects of discrimination among immigrants.”
Article reference
Gabarrell-Pascuet A, Lloret-Pineda A, Franch-Roca M, Mellor-Marsa B, Alos-Belenguer MDC, He Y, Hafi-Elmokhtari RE, Villalobos F, Bayes-Marin I, Aparicio Pareja L, Álvarez Bobo O, Espinal Cabezas M, Osorio Y, Haro JM, Cristóbal-Narvaez P. Impact of perceived discrimination and coping strategies on well-being and mental health in newly-arrived migrants in Spain. PLoS One. 2023 Dec 22;18(12):e0294295. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294295. PMID: 38134016; PMCID: PMC10745147.
