Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Oct 1;66(10):803-809.
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003175. Epub 2024 Jun 28.

Discrimination in the Workplace Linked to Psychological Distress: A Longitudinal Study in the United States

Elizabeth Keller  1 , Megan Guardiano, Jian Li
Affiliations

Discrimination in the Workplace Linked to Psychological Distress: A Longitudinal Study in the United States

Elizabeth Keller et al. J Occup Environ Med. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between workplace discrimination and psychological distress across 9 years using data from the Midlife in the Unites States study.

Methods: Workplace discrimination was measured with a validated six-item scale at baseline with three categories (low, intermediate, and high), and psychological distress was measured with the Kessler 6 scale at baseline and follow-up. In total, 1,546 workers were analyzed by linear regression.

Results: High levels of workplace discrimination were significantly associated with increased psychological distress at follow-up (crude β = 0.633; 95% CI, 0.307-0.959). After adjusting for demographic factors, socioeconomic status, and health-related behaviors, associations were slightly attenuated (fully adjusted β = 0.447; 95% CI, 0.115-0.780).

Conclusions: High workplace discrimination was longitudinally associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Organizations should actively prevent discrimination, which may improve workers' mental health consequently.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Li, Keller, and Guardiano have no relationships/conditions/circumstances that present potential conflict of interest.

References

    1. Dipboye RL, Colella A. Discrimination at work: The Psychological and Organizational Bases . New York: Psychology Press; 2013.
    1. Goldman BM, Gutek BA, Stein JH, Lewis K. Employment discrimination in organizations: antecedents and consequences. Journal Management 2006;32:786–830.
    1. U.S. Department of Labor. Legal highlight: The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Available at: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/civil-rights-center/statutes/civil-ri... . Accessed September 4, 2023.
    1. Mishra B, Mishra J. Discrimination in the workplace. Journal of Higher Education Theory & Practice 2015;15.
    1. Crosby FJ, Stockdale MS, Ropp S. Sex Discrimination in the Workplace: Multidisciplinary Perspectives . Oxford: Blackwell Publishing; 2007.

LinkOut - more resources