Back to Search
Start Over
The mediating effect of discrimination, social support and hopelessness on self-rated health of Roma adolescents in Slovakia
- Source :
- International journal for equity in health, 14(1):137. BioMed Central Ltd., International Journal for Equity in Health
- Publication Year :
- 2015
- Publisher :
- BioMed Central Ltd., 2015.
-
Abstract
- Background: According to the EU-MIDIS report on discrimination, Roma are the most discriminated against group in Europe. Research suggests that experiencing discrimination may itself be detrimental to health. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether discrimination, hopelessness and social support mediate differences in self-rated health (SRH) between Roma and non-Roma adolescents.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among Roma from separated and segregated settlements in the eastern part of Slovakia (N = 330; mean age = 14.50; interview) and non-Roma adolescents (N = 722; mean age = 14.86; questionnaire); only non-missing data were used for analyses (n = 759). The effect of perceived discrimination, mother and father social support, and hopelessness on SRH was analysed as crude and adjusted for ethnicity, age, gender, parental education and social desirability. Mediating effects were separately assessed using the Sobel test and structural equation modelling.Results: Roma adolescents reported poorer SRH and more discrimination, mother and father social support, hopelessness and social desirability. Roma ethnicity (Odds ratio/95 %-Confidence interval 3.27/2.40-4.47), discrimination (2.66/1.82-3.88), hopelessness (1.35/1.20-1.51) and mother (0.92/0.88-0.97) and father social support (0.96/0.93 - 0.997) were statistically significant predictors of poor SRH. Perceived discrimination, social support and hopelessness mediated the ethnicity-health association, with adjustment for social support increasing its strength and the other two variables decreasing it.Conclusions: Perceived discrimination, social support and hopelessness mediate a part of the association between Roma ethnicity and poor SRH, with discrimination and hopelessness being risk factors and social support a protective factor.
- Subjects :
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Slovakia
Sobel test
Roma
Adolescent
Cross-sectional study
Protective factor
Ethnic group
CHILDREN
Social class
Adolescents
Social support
Hope
RISK BEHAVIOR
Self-rated health
QUESTIONS
Surveys and Questionnaires
Discrimination
medicine
Humans
PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS
Public health
Research
Health Policy
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Social Discrimination
DEPRESSION
Health Surveys
humanities
PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION
ETHNICITY
Cross-Sectional Studies
Social Class
SOCIOECONOMIC DIFFERENCES
Roma ethnicity
Hopelessness
Female
Self Report
Psychology
FOLLOW-UP
Social psychology
RESPONSE BIAS
Clinical psychology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14759276
- Volume :
- 14
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- International journal for equity in health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....d862718c6c342dbb8e5dfc1d35557df1