Exploring the Role of Everyday Discrimination, Acculturative Stress, and Socio-Demographic Factors on Outcomes of Perceived Stress Among South Asians Living in the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan Area Open Access

Abstract

Background: South Asians are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the country, with a population of approximately 5.7 million, many of whom have immigrated to this country seeking employment or education. The process of immigration and building a new life in a completely new environment is a stressful journey for individuals and increases the risk for acculturative stress. Perpetuated by experiences of discrimination and other sociodemographic factors such as language proficiency and income, research has demonstrated outcomes of increased perceived stress, which heightens the risk for mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. There is very limited data concerning this population and outcome, and fewer studies examine various sociodemographic outcomes across disaggregated South Asian ethnic identities.

Purpose: Using Berry’s Model of Acculturation as a framework, this study sought to examine if there are any associations between experiences of everyday discrimination, acculturative stress, and various socio-demographic factors with outcomes of perceived stress amongst South Asians living in the Greater Atlanta Metropolitan area.

Methods: This study used data from the SAHAR study at Emory University, which began collection in January 2023. This survey covered multiple domains including perceptions of health, attitudes towards healthcare, and various experiences. For the purpose of this study, variables of interest included everyday discrimination, acculturative stress, perceived stress, and socio- demographic factors such as employment status, education level, ethnicity, and language proficiency. Fisher’s Exact Test and logistic regression were the primary methods utilized along with multiple regression to see if there were any effects with socio-demographic predictors.

Results: Outcomes from validated questionnaires demonstrated 53.3% of participants experienced high levels of discrimination; 76% of individuals reported high levels of acculturative stress; and 91.8% of individuals reported high perceived stress. Fisher’s test and logistic regression demonstrated a significant association between low levels of discrimination and lower odds of perceived stress, and high language proficiency and lower acculturative stress. However, the relationship was not significant between acculturative stress and perceived stress.

Conclusion: Individuals experiencing lower levels of discrimination are at lower risk for experiencing perceived stress with socio-demographic factors having an impact on acculturative stress processes as well as experiences of discrimination. High levels of perceived and acculturative stress were present across the participant sample, suggesting the need for further research into the mechanisms driving such experiences and implementing culturally relevant interventions. 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................. 1

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................... 5

Mental Health Epidemiology ...................................................................................................................5

Immigration and Additional Mental Health Risk Factors......................................................................6

South Asians and Mental Health .............................................................................................................7

Acculturation and Health Outcomes .....................................................................................................10

Acculturative Stress................................................................................................................................11

South Asians and Acculturative Stress ..................................................................................................12

Everyday Discrimination........................................................................................................................13

Mental Health.........................................................................................................................................14

Theoretical Background and Grounding: Berry’s Model of Acculturation ........................................15

CHAPTER 3: METHODS........................................................................................................... 20

Study Design ...........................................................................................................................................20

Participants and Sampling Procedures .................................................................................................20

Measures .................................................................................................................................................21

Demographic Variables ...................................................................................................................................... 21

Independent Variables ........................................................................................................................................ 22

Dependent Variable ............................................................................................................................................ 24

Analysis Plan ..........................................................................................................................................26

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 27 Demographics:........................................................................................................................................27

Analysis: .................................................................................................................................................30

CH. 5 DISCUSSION.................................................................................................................... 39

Results Compared to Literature .............................................................................................................39

Acculturative Stress Variable Anomaly: Statistical Snag .....................................................................40

Implications and Future Directions ......................................................................................................41

Strengths and Limitations ......................................................................................................................42

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 45 

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Behavioral Sciences and Health Education
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health Psychology, Behavioral Sciences South Asian Studies
Keyword	Public Health South Asian Public Health Acculturative Stress Acculturation Socio-Demographic South Asian Health Discrimination Everyday Discrimination Mental Health Perceived Stress
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Robin McGee, Emory University
Committee Members	Shilpa Patel, Emory University

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