Psychological Well-Being : Collective Identity and Discrimination in Stigmatized Neighborhoods

Original Research Articles
Felipe E. García

Universidad Santo Tomás

Bernarda Castillo

Universidad de las Américas

Angelina García

Universidad de las Américas

Vanessa Smith Castro

Universidad de Costa Rica

Introduction: Social discrimination and stigmatization of individuals for belonging to a particular group, specifically for their place of residence in this case, is a major problem and affects well-being and mental health.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to establish the relative influence of collective identity and the perception of discrimination on the psychological well-being of inhabitants of stigmatized neighborhoods.

Method: The sample consisted of 160 adults (50% women) living in stigmatized neighborhoods in the province of Concepción, Chile. The instruments used were Keyes’s Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) for the measurement of psychological well-being, the Van Zomeren’s Collective Identity Scale and the Discrimination Experiences Scale adapted to the Latin American context by Smith-Castro.

Results: The results show psychological well-being is negatively influenced by discrimination and positively influenced by collective identity.

Conclusions: Strengthening the sense of belonging and endogroup pride could enable environments and living conditions that promote mental health and healthy lifestyles.

Keywords: inequality, territorial stigmatization, territorial discrimination, social exclusion, prejudice
Published
2017-10-26
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https://plu.mx/plum/a/?doi=10.16925/pe.v13i22.1987