American Journal of Public Health
Volume 101, Issue 5, 2011, Pages 909-915

Perceived discrimination and its association with psychological distress among newly arrived immigrants before and after september 11, 2001 (Article)

Rousseau C.* , Hassan G. , Moreau N. , Thombs B.D.
  • a Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, Division of Social and Cultural Psychiatry, McGill University, Transcultural Research and Intervention Team (TRIT), 7085 Hutchison Street, Local 204.2, Montreal, QC H3N 1Y9, Canada
  • b Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Canada
  • c Department of Social Work, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
  • d Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

Abstract

Objectives. We compared the evolution of perception of discrimination from 1998 to 2007 among recent Arab (Muslim and non-Muslim) and Haitian immigrants to Montreal; we also studied the association between perception of discrimination and psychological distress in 1998 and 2007. Methods. We conducted this cross-sectional comparative research with 2 samples: one recruited in 1998 (n=784) and the other in 2007 (n=432). The samples were randomly extracted from the registry of the Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities of Quebec. Psychological distress was measured with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25. Results. The perception of discrimination increased from 1998 to 2007 among the Arab Muslim, Arab non-Muslim, and Haitian groups. Muslim Arabs experienced a significant increase in psychological distress associated with discrimination from 1998 to 2007. Conclusions. These results confirm an increase in perception of discrimination and psychological distress among Arab Muslim recent immigrant communities after September 11, 2001, and highlight the importance this context may have for other immigrant groups.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

September 11 Terrorist Attacks social psychology regression analysis psychological aspect Islam Quebec Terrorism human statistics Stress, Psychological mental stress Time Factors Arab checklist ethnology religion Arabs Cross-Sectional Studies Haiti cross-sectional study Humans chi square distribution male Canada Chi-Square Distribution Emigrants and Immigrants Socioeconomic Factors female socioeconomics Article adult migration Prejudice time
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79954618343&doi=10.2105%2fAJPH.2009.173062&partnerID=40&md5=1319e0339a686a7b1a996a2bf5dfc42c
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.173062
ISSN: 00900036
Cited by: 46
Original Language: English