Systematic review of epidemiological studies on interpersonal discrimination and mental health

Abstract

The article describes epidemiological studies on the relationship between interpersonal discrimination and mental health outcomes, updating previous literature reviews on the topic. The review included 34 papers published in PubMed from 2000 to 2010, 68% of which were based on convenience samples and 82% with a cross-sectional design. Positive and statistically significant associations were observed between discrimination and adverse mental health outcomes, particularly substance use, depression, and alcoholrelated disorders. Only one third of the studies explicitly adopted a specific theoretical framework to interpret the examined relationships. Mirroring previous reviews, discrimination was positively and consistently associated with adverse mental health outcomes. However, future studies should employ robust designs for causal inference, use discrimination instruments with good psychometric properties, and adopt theoretical frameworks to interpret their findings.