Discrimination
A socially structured action that is unfair or unjustified and harms individuals and groups.
Discrimination is the act of unjust treatment to different groups of people, not limited to race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, or disability. With this, there are two types of discrimination: macroaggressions and microaggressions. Macroaggressions are radical forms of discrimination in a society or system. Microaggressions are everyday insults that are usually hard to define or perceive but still convey a negative message to the person’s identity.
The impact of discrimination on health is complex. It can lead to issues such as stress, lack of motivation, depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems for both patients and healthcare staff experiencing it. Chronic stress from discrimination is associated with immunity issues, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and worsening of chronic diseases. (Pascoe & Richman, 2009) Moreover, these discriminatory practices can limit access to health services and lead to high disparities in medical and health outcomes between different demographic groups.
Key Points and Resources
References
Dawson, R., & Guttmacher Institute. (2022, August 30). Trump administration’s domestic gag rule has slashed the title x network’s capacity by half. Guttmacher Institute. https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2020/02/trump-administrations-domestic-gag-rule-has-slashed-title-x-networks-capacity-half#:~:text=New%20data%20from%20the%20Guttm acher,1.6%20million%20female%20patients%20nationwide
Pascoe, E. A., & Smart Richman, L. (2009). Perceived discrimination and health: a meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin, 135(4), 531–554. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016059
Andermann, A. (2016). Taking action on the social determinants of health in clinical practice: a framework for health professionals. Journal de l’Association Medicale Canadienne [Canadian Medical Association Journal], 188(17–18), E474–E483.
https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.160177
McVean, A. (2020, December 30). 40 years of human experimentation in America: The tuskegee study. Office for Science and Society. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history/40-years-human-experimentation-america-tuskegee-study
Rivenbark, J. G., & Ichou, M. (2020). Discrimination in healthcare as a barrier to care: Experiences of socially disadvantaged populations in France from a nationally representative survey. BMC Public Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-8124-z
Togioka B. M., Duvivier D., Young E. (2023). Diversity and discrimination in healthcare.
StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK568721/
Resources to assess & eliminate racist & discriminatory policies. (2023, April 21). Campaign for Action.
https://campaignforaction.org/resource/resources-to-assess-eliminate-racist-discriminatory-policies/