Racial Discrimination, Cultural Resilience, and Stress

Objective: Racial discrimination is a social determinant of health for First Nations people. Cultural resilience has been regarded as a potentially positive resource for social outcomes. Using a compensatory model of resilience, this study sought to determine if cultural resilience (compensatory factor) neutralized or offset the detrimental effect of racial discrimination (social risk factor) on stress (outcome). Methods: Data were collected from October 2012 to February 2013 (N = 340) from adult members of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation community in Ontario, Canada. The outcome was perceived stress; risk factor, racial discrimination; and compensatory factor, cultural resilience. Control variables included individual (education, sociability) and family (marital status, socioeconomic status) resilience resources and demographics (age and gender). The model was tested using sequential regression. Results: The risk factor, racial discrimination, increased stress across steps of the sequential model, while cultural resilience had an opposite modest effect on stress levels. In the final model with all variables, age and gender were significant, with the former having a negative effect on stress and women reporting higher levels of stress than males. Education, marital status, and socioeconomic status (household income) were not significant in the model. The model had R-2 = 0.21 and adjusted R-2 = 0.18 and semipartial correlation (squared) of 0.04 and 0.01 for racial discrimination and cultural resilience, respectively. Conclusions: In this study, cultural resilience compensated for the detrimental effect of racial discrimination on stress in a modest manner. These findings may support the development of programs and services fostering First Nations culture, pending further study. Objectif: La discrimination raciale est un determinant de la sante pour les peuples des Premieres nations. La resilience culturelle a ete consideree comme etant une ressource potentiellement positive pour les resultats sociaux. l'aide d'un modele compensatoire de resilience, cette etude cherchait a determiner si la resilience culturelle (facteur compensatoire) neutralisait ou compensait l'effet adverse de la discrimination raciale (facteur de risque social) sur le stress (resultat). Methodes: Les donnees ont ete recueillies d'octobre 2012 a fevrier 2013 (N = 340) aupres de membres adultes de la communaute des Premieres nations Kettle and Stony Point, en Ontario, Canada. Le resultat a ete stress percu; facteur de risque, discrimination raciale; et facteur compensatoire, resilience culturelle. Les variables de controle incluaient les ressources de resilience individuelles (education, sociabilite) et familiales (etat matrimonial, statut socioeconomique) et les donnees demographiques (age et sexe). Le modele a ete teste par la regression sequentielle. Resultats: Le facteur de risque, la discrimination raciale, augmentait le stress dans toutes les etapes du modele sequentiel tandis que la resilience culturelle avait un effet oppose modeste sur les niveaux de stress. Dans le modele final contenant toutes les variables, l'age et le sexe etaient significatifs, l'age ayant un effet negatif sur le stress et les femmes declarant des niveaux de stress plus eleves que ceux des hommes. L'education, l'etat matrimonial, et le statut socioeconomique (revenu du menage) n'etaient pas significatifs dans le modele. Le modele avait R-2 = 0,21 et R-2 = 0,18 ajuste, et une correlation semi-partielle (au carre) de 0,04 et 0,01 pour la discrimination raciale et la resilience culturelle, respectivement. Conclusions: Dans cette etude, la resilience culturelle compensait modestement l'effet adverse de la discrimination raciale sur le stress. Ces resultats peuvent soutenir l'elaboration de programmes et de services favorisant la culture des Premieres nations, en attendant d'autres etudes.