Psychological Consequences of Chronic Ethnic Discrimination in Male Turkish Immigrants Living in Austria: A 30-Day Ambulatory Assessment Study

BACKGROUND: Chronic ethnic discrimination may be associated with negative psychological consequences in ethnic minority groups. However, little is known about the impact of acute discriminatory events on people who experience chronic ethnic discrimination.

PURPOSE: We examined the impact of chronic and acute ethnic discrimination on the daily lives of Turkish immigrants in Austria, a population often overlooked in discrimination research.

METHODS: Ninety male Turkish immigrants living in Austria (60 experiencing chronic and 30 infrequent ethnic discrimination) reported discriminatory events in real time for 30 days. Additionally, subjective stress, reactivity to daily hassles, affect, and maladaptive coping were assessed daily.

RESULTS: Participants experiencing chronic ethnic discrimination indicated higher daily values for stress, negative affect, reactivity to daily hassles, and anticipation and avoidance coping. Negative psychological states increased for all participants on days when discriminatory events occurred, but participants with chronic ethnic discrimination showed significantly stronger increases in maladaptive coping and reactivity to daily hassles, with the latter effect persisting until the next day.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to demonstrate interaction effects of chronic and acute ethnic discrimination on psychological factors in daily life. The results may advance the understanding of the mechanisms that lead to health disparities in ethnic minority populations and may inform the development of targeted interventions.