Psychological Consequences of Chronic Ethnic Discrimination in Male Turkish Immigrants Living in Austria: A 30-Day Ambulatory Assessment Study.

This study investigated the impact of chronic and acute ethnic discrimination on the daily lives of Turkish immigrants in Austria, a population often overlooked in discrimination research. While it is established that experiences of ethnic discrimination are related to worse mental and physical health, the "how," that is, the underlying psychological mechanisms, remain incompletely understood. Ninety male Turkish immigrants took part in this study, with 60 experiencing ethnic discrimination on a regular basis. Over a 30-day period, we tracked their experiences of discrimination and their daily stress, emotional reactions, and coping strategies. We found that the participants with regular experiences of ethnic discrimination had higher stress levels and more negative emotions than the participants with fewer experiences of discrimination. In addition, they more strongly reacted to acute discriminatory events in their daily lives and had more problems coping with such events. They even were more stressed by daily hassles, which continued into the following day. These findings advance the understanding of the negative impact of ethnic discrimination on health disparities in ethnic minority populations and may inform the development of targeted interventions.