The transactional stress paradigm conceptualizes perceived discrimination as a stress inductor that may have negative consequences for mental health and which calls for the development of coping strategies. This study examines discrimination as perceived by the Peruvian immigrant population that has settled in Santiago de Chile, both as a group and as individuals, and its relationship with coping strategies and mental health. To carry out this research we used a snowball sampling approach. Subjects were three hundred and fifty-five Peruvian immigrants ages eighteen to fitfty-eight years old living in Santiago, who answered a battery of tests focused on covering the variables of interest. Results show that the perception of discrimination is greater at the group level than at the personal level. People who perceive that they are being discriminated tend to use more cognitive avoidance strategies, which do not bear relationship with symptomatology. We can thus conclude that the use of these strategies may have a shielding role against the effects of perceived personal discrimination.

Mental health Migration perceived discrimination coping strategies

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