PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION IN IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE ADOLESCENTS IN A MIDDLE TENNESSEE HIGH SCHOOL: EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF THE 2016 ELECTION

Abstract

The body’s response to stress is an adaptive and useful response to stressors that occur in everyday life. However, a prolonged or maladaptive stress response can lead to numerous health-related problems. Studies often assess stress using Western ideology to diagnose or treat various minority groups but may underestimate levels of stress experienced by these groups. It is not broadly understood that the experience of discrimination is a social stressor that can negatively impact one's health. While most infrequent stressful experiences do not increase an individual’s vulnerability to illness, chronic discrimination can be characterized as a distinct stressor that causes physiological responses such as high blood pressure, elevated heart rate, hyperventilation, and over/under fluctuation of diet. These types of heightened physiological responses over time can have negative long-term effects on health outcomes. Discriminatory behavior towards minorities has been a continuing problem in the United States, which has been exasperated by the negative rhetoric and policies put forth by Trump administration. With the new political environment and change in attitudes in the United States towards various minority groups, this study aimed to add to the body of research by investigating the association of everyday discrimination in high school aged immigrant and refugee students in Middle Tennessee. The results of the current study illustrated the Williams Everyday Discrimination Scale to be a valid and reliable measure of the construct of perceived discrimination within the surveyed population. Although the hypothesized increase in levels of everyday discrimination using the 2016 Presidential election as the historical point of interest was not significant, high levels of perceived discrimination were reported by study participants. This finding has the potential to affect physical, mental and emotional well-being as well as health behaviors that can influence physical and mental health.