Perception of discrimination in employment and health in refugees and immigrants.


Unemployment is associated with poor health among refugees and immigrants; however, the degree to which discrimination in employment contributes to poor health remains unclear because of methodological limitations. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate factors associated with perceived discrimination, ethnicity and migration status, and their implication on health (self-rated health [SRH] and depression). Perceived discrimination was investigated in 273 Iraqi skilled workers, refugees, and immigrants who are members of a professional scientific organization. It was hypothesized that unemployment, ethnicity (Arab), and migration status (refugee) would be associated with perceived discrimination. Additionally, it was hypothesized that participants who endorse discrimination are more likely to report poor health. Results revealed that more individuals who were unemployed (46.4%) reported perceived discrimination, χ2(1, N = 273) = 6.63, p < .05; however, when linear regression modeling was applied, age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.36), gender (OR = 2.13), and ethnicity (OR = 2.15), but not migration status, became significant predictors of discrimination. With respect to health, age (OR = 2.25), length of residency (OR = .93), language skills (OR = 3.00), and perception of discrimination (OR = 2.12) were predictors of SRH, while ethnicity (OR = 3.93), age (OR = 1.39), and discrimination (OR = 3.26) were significant predictors of depression. Notably, perceived discrimination was a predictor in both health variables. In conclusion, there appears to be a link between discrimination and health in a homogenous refugee and immigrant sample. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)