Prevalence of Everyday Discrimination and Relation with Wellbeing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Adults in Australia

Katherine A. Thurber, Emily Colonna, Roxanne Jones, Gilbert C. Gee, Naomi Priest, Rubijayne Cohen, David R. Williams, Joanne Thandrayen, Tom Calma, Raymond Lovett and on behalf of the Mayi Kuwayu Study Team
Additional contact information
Katherine A. Thurber: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Emily Colonna: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Roxanne Jones: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Gilbert C. Gee: Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
Naomi Priest: Centre for Social Research and Methods, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Rubijayne Cohen: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
David R. Williams: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Joanne Thandrayen: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
Tom Calma: Poche Indigenous Health Network New South Wales, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Raymond Lovett: National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
on behalf of the Mayi Kuwayu Study Team: Mayi Kuwayu Study Team are listed in acknowledgments.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: Discrimination is a fundamental determinant of health and health inequities. However, despite the high prevalence of discrimination exposure, there is limited evidence specific to Indigenous populations on the link between discrimination and health. This study employs a validated measure to quantify experiences of everyday discrimination in a national sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Australia’s Indigenous peoples) adults surveyed from 2018 to 2020 (?16 years, n = 8108). It quantifies Prevalence Ratios (PRs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) for wellbeing outcomes by level of discrimination exposure, and tests if associations vary by attribution of discrimination to Indigeneity. Of the participants, 41.5% reported no discrimination, 47.5% low, and 11.0% moderate-high. Discrimination was more commonly reported by younger versus older participants, females versus males, and those living in remote versus urban or regional areas. Discrimination was significantly associated in a dose-response manner, with measures of social and emotional wellbeing, culture and identity, health behaviour, and health outcomes. The strength of the association varied across outcomes, from a 10–20% increased prevalence for some outcomes (e.g., disconnection from culture (PR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.14), and high blood pressure (1.20; 1.09, 1.32)), to a five-fold prevalence of alcohol dependence (4.96; 3.64, 6.76), for those with moderate-high versus no discrimination exposure. The association was of consistent strength and direction whether attributed to Indigeneity or not—with three exceptions. Discrimination is associated with a broad range of poor wellbeing outcomes in this large-scale, national, diverse cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. These findings support the vast potential to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ wellbeing, and to reduce Indigenous-non-Indigenous inequities, by reducing exposure to discrimination.

Keywords: racism; indigenous peoples; health inequalities; social epidemiology; social determinants of health; Australia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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