Discrimination and Distress among Afghan Refugees in Northern California: The Moderating Role of Pre- and Post-Migration Factors

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of perceived discrimination on the mental health of Afghan refugees, and secondly, tests the distress moderating effects of pre-migration traumatic experiences and post-resettlement adjustment factors. In a cross-sectional design, 259 Afghans completed surveys assessing perceived discrimination and a number of other factors using scales developed through inductive techniques. Multivariate analyses consisted of a series of hierarchical regressions testing the effect of perceived discrimination on distress, followed by a sequential analysis of moderator variables. Perceived discrimination was significantly associated with higher distress, and this relationship was stronger among those with a strong intra-ethnic identity, high civic engagement, and high pre-resettlement traumatic experiences. Discrimination is a significant source of stress for Afghan refugees, which may exacerbate stresses associated with other post-migration stressors. Future research is needed to tailor interventions that can help mitigate the stress associated with discrimination among this highly vulnerable group.

Challenges to the economic integration of Afghan refugees in the U.S.

“…The adaptation of Afghans in the U.S. has also included significant stigmatisation targeting their Muslim religious identities which has grown and become more politicised in recent years. Levels of perceived discrimination are high among first and second generation Afghans, but we did not find research exploring how much this has influenced their economic integration (Alemi and Stempel 2018). ACS has no measures of perceived discrimination, but we hypothesise that a substantial part of the much stronger negative Afghan refugee effects in Model 4 (−19%) stems from discrimination.…”

“…Regarding exposure to trauma, the modest mediating role of the crude index of physical and mental disability on the negative effect of Afghan refugees on earned income would likely be larger with better measures of psychological distress. A community survey of Afghan refugees in northern California (Stempel 2009) found that among working age adults an index measuring symptoms of distress was negatively associated with being employed, controlling for age, gender, education, English ability, and years in the U.S. Alemi and Stempel (2018) found that Afghan refugees who had experienced more traumatic events before and during migration had distress levels that were strongly influenced by their levels of perceived discrimination. Future work should explore more closely how this interaction between vulnerability from traumatic experiences and perceived discrimination influences economic outcomes.…”

“…High levels of distress and psychological disorders limit Afghan's employability and may impair their parenting, negatively influencing their children's psychological development and educational attainment (Stempel 2009). Fourth, most Afghan refugees are Muslims from a country that is strongly associated in the U.S. media with fundamentalist Islam and Islamic terrorism, making them targets of significant discrimination (Pew Research Center 2017;Alemi and Stempel 2018). While a majority of Afghans identity as 'white' in the American Community Survey, 3 many are viewed through racialised categories of Islam.…”