Perceived discrimination and health among Puerto Rican and Mexican Americans: Buffering effect of the Lazo matrimonial?

Min-Ah Lee and Kenneth F. Ferraro

Social Science & Medicine, 2009, vol. 68, issue 11, 1966-1974

Abstract: An emerging body of research shows that perceived discrimination adversely influences the mental health of minority populations, but is it also deleterious to physical health? If yes, can marriage buffer the effect of perceived discrimination on physical health? We address these questions with data from Puerto Rican and Mexican American residents of Chicago. Multivariate regression analyses reveal that perceived discrimination is associated with more physical health problems for both Puerto Rican and Mexican Americans. In addition, an interaction effect between marital status and perceived discrimination was observed: married Mexican Americans with higher perceived discrimination had fewer physical health problems than their unmarried counterparts even after adjusting for differential effects of marriage by nativity. The findings reveal that perceived discrimination is detrimental to the physical health of both Puerto Rican and Mexican Americans, but that the stress-buffering effect of marriage on physical health exists for Mexican Americans only.

Keywords: Chicago; Perceived; discrimination; Physical; health; Marital; status; Hispanic; Americans; USA; Buffering; effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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