Objectives The relationships among discrimination, social support, and mental health have mostly been studied in minorities, and relevant studies in the general population are lacking. We aimed to investigate associations between discrimination and depressive symptoms in Korean non-minority young adults, considering the role of social support.
Methods In total, 372 participants who completed the psychological examinations conducted in the third wave of the Jangseong High School Cohort study were included. We used the Everyday Discrimination Scale to evaluate perceived discrimination and the Beck Depression Inventory-II to measure depressive symptoms. Social support was measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Multivariate linear regression was conducted to investigate associations between discrimination and depression, along with the effect modification of social support. We stratified the population by gender to investigate gender differences.
Results Perceived discrimination was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (β=0.736, p<0.001), and social support was negatively associated with depression (β=-0.245, p<0.001). In men, support from friends was the most influential factor (β=-0.631, p=0.011), but no significant effect modification was found. In women, support from family was the most influential factor (β=-0.440, p=0.010), and women with higher familial support showed a significantly diminished association between discrimination and depression, unlike those with lower family support.
Conclusions Discrimination perceived by individuals can lead to depressive symptoms in Korean young adults, and this relationship can may differ by gender and social support status.
Summary
Korean summary
본 연구에서는 한국인에서 차별이 우울 증상에 미치는 영향을 평가하고 사회적 지지가 차별의 건강영향을 조절하는지 확인하고자 하였다. 인지된 차별은 우울 증상과 양의 상관관계를 보였으며, 높은 사회적 지지는 차별의 부정적 건강 영향을 경감시키는 효과를 보였다. 남성에서는 친구로부터의 사회적 지지가 가장 강한 영향력을 나타냈으며, 여성에서는 가족으로부터의 사회적 지지가 가장 강한 효과를 보였다.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
The relationship between stressful childhood environments and depression for Chinese adolescents: a serial mediation model through perceived discrimination and belief in a just world Ningning Feng, Zhaoyang Xie, Yuqi Li, Can Yang, Lijuan Cui Current Psychology.2024; 43(7): 6271. CrossRef
Social support and cigarette smoking among homosexual college students in China: a moderated mediation model examining the roles of depression and disclosure Xiaoling Liu, Huijun Li, Siyuan Zeng, Xiaofeng Luo Current Psychology.2024; 43(10): 8788. CrossRef
Multiple and intersectional discrimination and mental health of migrant populations in Portugal after the COVID-19 pandemic Violeta Alarcão, Pedro Candeias, Miodraga Stefanovska-Petkovska, Sónia Pintassilgo, Fernando Luís Machado International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care.2024; 20(3): 504. CrossRef
Depression, anxiety, psychological distress, and perceived social support among Ugandan palliative care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic Mariah Horvath, Simon Kizito, Roya Ghiaseddin, Lisa Christine Irumba, Mark Donald Mwesiga, Lacey N. Ahern Palliative and Supportive Care.2024; 22(6): 1984. CrossRef
Hwa-Byung (Anger Syndrome) in the MZ Generation of Republic of Korea: A Survey Chan-Young Kwon, Ju Yeob Kim, So Yeong Park Journal of Clinical Medicine.2024; 13(22): 6667. CrossRef
Impact of Perceived Social Support and Depression in Married Turkish Women on the Sexual Quality of Life: An Online Survey Ç. Gök, U Yücel, YÇ Okuyan, ZB Akmeşe Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice.2023; 26(11): 1667. CrossRef
Gender Differences in the Development of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Following Pregnancy Loss: Social Support and Causal Attributes Sigal Levy, Ronit Avitsur Psychological Studies.2022; 67(4): 524. CrossRef
Effects of Wise Intervention on Perceived Discrimination Among College Students Returning Home From Wuhan During the COVID-19 Outbreak Ting Lu, Zihan Guo, Hao Li, Xinyu Zhang, Zhihong Ren, Weiping Yang, Liuqing Wei, Ling Huang Frontiers in Psychology.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Testing whether implicit emotion regulation mediates the association between discrimination and symptoms of psychopathology in late childhood: An RDoC perspective T.G. Vargas, V.A. Mittal Development and Psychopathology.2021; 33(5): 1634. CrossRef
Physical Fitness and Somatic Characteristics of the Only Child Luis P. Rodrigues, Ricardo Franco Lima, Ana Filipa Silva, Filipe Manuel Clemente, Miguel Camões, Pantelis Theodoros Nikolaidis, Thomas Rosemann, Beat Knechtle Frontiers in Pediatrics.2020;[Epub] CrossRef