The Importance of Biobehavioral Research to Examine the Physiological Effects of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination in the Latinx Population

A growing body of research is documenting how racial and ethnic populations embody social inequalities throughout the life course. Some scholars recommend the integration of biospecimens representing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, neurological and endocrinological processes, and inflammation to capture the embodiment of inequality. However, in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups, there has been little research examining how Hispanic/Latinx persons embody racial and ethnic discrimination, much less resulting from institutional and structural racism. We provide a rationale for expanding biobehavioral research examining the physiological consequences of racism among Latinx persons. We identify gaps and make recommendations for a future research agenda in which biobehavioral research can expand knowledge about chronic disease inequities among Latinx populations and inform behavioral and institutional interventions. We end by cautioning readers to approach the recommendations in this article as a call to expand the embodiment of racism research to include the diverse Latinx population as the United States addresses racial inequity.

Perceptions of Discrimination Predict Retention of College Students of Color: Connections with School Belonging and Ethnic Identity

This longitudinal study examines (a) whether perceptions of ethnic discrimination during the first weeks of college predicted later school belonging among first-year college students of color ( N = 638) attending a predominantly White institution (PWI), (b) whether school belonging, in turn, predicted retention to the second year, and (c) whether ethnic identity centrality buffered the effects of discrimination on school belonging and academic retention. Participants completed measures of ethnic discrimination and identity near the beginning of the first semester and school belonging at the end of the semester. Academic data from the fall of the second year were obtained from school records. Tests of moderated mediation revealed that perceptions of discrimination at the beginning of college had an indirect effect on retention in the second year of college, as mediated by lowered school belonging, but only for students with low and moderate (but not high) ethnic identity centrality.

Perceived Discrimination at School and Developmental Outcomes among Bai Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Self-Esteem and Ethnic Identity

Although discrimination is widely acknowledged to impair developmental outcomes among ethnic minority adolescents, literature differentiating discrimination based on personal characteristics and group membership is lacking, especially in Chinese contexts, and the mechanisms of those relationships remain unclear. In response, the study presented here examined whether self-esteem mediates the relationship between perceived academic discrimination and developmental outcomes among such ethnic minority adolescents, and whether ethnic identity mediates the relationship between perceived ethnic discrimination and developmental outcomes. Multistage cluster random sampling performed in Dali and Kunming, China, yielded a sample of 813 Bai adolescents whose data was analysed in structural equation modelling. The results indicate that perceived academic discrimination had a direct negative effect on adolescents’ mental health, while perceived ethnic discrimination had direct negative effects on their behavioural adjustment and social competence. Perceived academic discrimination also indirectly affected adolescents’ behavioural adjustment, mental health, and social competence via self-esteem, whereas perceived ethnic discrimination indirectly affected their behavioural adjustment and social competence via ethnic identity. These findings deepen current understandings of how perceived discrimination, self-esteem, and ethnic identity affect the developmental outcomes of ethnic minority adolescents and provide practical recommendations for policymakers and social workers to promote those outcomes in China.

Can Information Reduce Ethnic Discrimination? Evidence from Airbnb

We use data from Airbnb to identify the mechanisms underlying discrimination against ethnic minority hosts. Within the same neighborhood, hosts from minority groups charge 3.2 percent less for comparable listings. Since ratings provide guests with increasingly rich information about a listing’s quality, we can measure the contribution of statistical discrimination, building upon Altonji and Pierret (2001). We find that statistical discrimination can account for the whole ethnic price gap: ethnic gaps would disappear if all unobservables were revealed. Also, three-quarters (2.5 points) of the initial ethnic gap can be attributed to inaccurate beliefs of potential guests about hosts’ average group quality. (JEL D83, J15, L84)

Membangun Teologi Alteritas Heteronom: Upaya Mengentaskan Sisa-Sisa Stigma Anti-Tionghoa di Indonesia

This study aims to build a theological construction that can help erase anti-Chinese stigma in Indonesia post-1998, so religious people, especially Christians, become more sensitive about ethnic discrimination. The discrimination against ethnic Chinese in Indonesia has occurred for a long time, usually because of their capability to control the market and business. Their success in business impacts hatred and racism and turns into an anti-Chinese stigma. The research uses qualitative study on the philosophy of heteronomous alterity, and builds a theological framework on the theory of heteronomous alterity in positivistic philosophy. The theological framework will remove the anti-Chinese stigma in Indonesia. This study concludes that the theology of heteronomous alterity can help decrease anti-Chinese stigma by appreciating trinitarian relations and accepting the other as they are.Abstrak. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk membangun konstruksi teologi yang dapat membantu menghapus stigma anti-Tionghoa di Indonesia pasca 1998, sehingga umat beragama khususnya Kristen menjadi lebih peka mengenai diskrimasi etnis. Sudah sejak lama, masalah diskriminasi terhadap etnis Tionghoa di Indonesia terjadi, yang biasanya karena kelihaian mereka menguasai pasar dan bisnis. Hal ini berdampak pada kebencian yang bersifat rasialis dan menubuh ke dalam stigma anti-Tionghoa. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah studi kualitatif yang berbasis pada analisis filosofi alteritas heteronom. Teori alteritas heteronom dalam filsafat positivistik dijadikan sebagai kerangka berpikir teologis untuk melepas stigma anti-Tionghoa di Indonesia. Melalui kajian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa teologi alteritas heteronom dapat membantu menghapus stigma anti-Tionghoa melalui penghayatan relasi trinitarian dan penerimaan orang selain dirinya sebagaimana adanya.

London Calls? Discrimination of European Job Seekers in the Aftermath of the Brexit Referendum

The central question in this article is whether there was greater discrimination against European applicants in the labor market in those English regions where public opinion was more strongly in favor of Brexit. Using a field experiment conducted immediately after the Brexit Referendum, we provide causal evidence that applicants with EU backgrounds faced discrimination when applying for jobs in England. On average, applicants from EU12 countries and applicants from Eastern European member states were both less likely to receive a callback from employers than were white British applicants. Furthermore, in British regions where support for Brexit was stronger, employers were more likely to discriminate against EU12 applicants. This finding, though, is driven by the more favorable treatment reserved to EU12 applicants applying for jobs in the Greater London area. Eastern Europeans, on the other hand, did not benefit from this ‘London advantage’. Administrative and legal uncertainties over the settlement status of EU nationals cannot explain these findings, as European applicants, both EU12 and Eastern Europeans, faced the same legislative framework in all British regions, including London. Rather, London appears to exhibit a cultural milieu of ‘selective cosmopolitanism’. These findings add to the still limited literature on the relationship between public opinion on immigrants (here proxied by the referendum vote) and the levels of ethnic discrimination recorded in field experiments.

(Not) being granted the right to belong—Amateur football clubs in Germany

Empirical studies show that first- and second-generation immigrants are less likely to be members of sports clubs than their non-immigrant peers. Common explanations are cultural differences and socioeconomic disadvantages. However, lower participation rates in amateur sport could be at least partly due to ethnic discrimination. Are minority ethnic groups granted the same right to belong as their non-immigrant peers? To answer this question, this paper uses publicly available data from a field experiment in which mock applications were sent out to over 1,600 football clubs in Germany. Having a foreign-sounding name significantly reduces the likelihood of being invited to participate. The paper concludes that amateur football clubs are not as permeable as they are often perceived to be. It claims that traditional explanations for lower participation rates of immigrants need to be revisited.

COVID-19 as a Social Disease: Qualitative Analysis of COVID-19 Prevention Needs, Impact of Control Measures and Community Responses Among Racialized/Ethnic Minorities in Antwerp, Belgium

Background: In high income countries, racialized/ethnic minorities are disproportionally affected by COVID-19. We lack in-depth understanding of these communities’ experiences with and responses to COVID-19 despite the established importance of community involvement in epidemic preparedness. We explored information and prevention needs, coping mechanisms with COVID-19 control measures and their impact on lived experiences among selected racialized/ethnic minority communities.Methods: This qualitative rapid assessment conducted in Antwerp/Belgium used an interpretative and participatory approach. We included migrant communities with geographic origins ranging from Sub-Saharan Africa, North-Africa to the Middle East, Orthodox Jewish communities and community workers working with these groups. Data were collected between May 2020 - May 2021 through key informant-, in-depth interviews and group discussions (N=71). Transcripts were analyzed inductively, adopting a reflexive thematic approach. A community advisory board provided feedback throughout the research process.Results: Participants indicated the need for tailored information in terms of language and timing. At the start of the epidemic, they perceived official public health messages as insufficient to reach all community members. Information sources included non-mainstream (social) media and media from home countries, hampering a nuanced understanding of virus transmission mechanisms and local and national protection measures. Participants felt the measures’ most negative impact on their livelihoods (e.g. loss of income, disruption of social and immigration support). Economic insecurity triggered chronic stress and fears at individual and family level. High degrees of distrust in authorities and anticipated stigma were grounded in previously experienced racial and ethnic discrimination. Community-based initiatives mitigated this impact, ranging from disseminating translated and tailored information, providing individual support, and successfully reaching community members with complex needs (e.g. the elderly, digitally illiterate people, those with small social networks or irregular legal status). Conclusion: Study participants’ narratives showed how coping with and responding to COVID-19 was strongly intertwined with socio-economic and ethnic/racial characteristics, justifying conceptualizing COVID-19 a social disease. At the same time, communities demonstrated resilience in responding to these structural vulnerabilities. From a health equity perspective, we provide concrete policy recommendations grounded in insights into communities’ structural vulnerabilities and resilience.

Big Five Development From Young Adulthood to Midlife: Findings From a Longitudinal Study of Mexican-Origin Adults

A large body of research has documented how personality develops across adulthood, yet very little longitudinal work has examined whether these findings generalize beyond predominantly middle-class, highly-educated White American or Western European individuals. This pre-registered study uses longitudinal data from 1,110 Mexican-origin adults who completed a well-validated personality measure, the Big Five Inventory, up to 6 times across 12 years (median age at Wave 1 = 37.7; range = 26 to 65). Individuals generally maintained their rank ordering on the Big Five over time (rs=.66-.80), and all of the Big Five traits showed small, mean-level decreases across adulthood. These trajectories had few associations with sociodemographic factors (sex, education level, IQ) and cultural factors (generational status, age at immigration, Spanish/English language preference, Mexican cultural values, American cultural values, ethnic discrimination). Divergences between the present findings and previous research highlight the need to study personality development across diverse aging samples.