Online Program

321528
Effects of anti-immigrant policy on perceived discrimination among U.S. Latinos: A multilevel analysis


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 2:50 p.m. - 3:10 p.m.

Joanna Almeida, ScD, MPH, MSW, Simmons School of Social Work, Boston, MA
Katie Biello, PhD, MPH, The Fenway Institute, Boston, MA
Fracisco Pedraza, PhD, Department of Political Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Suzanne Wintner, MSW, Simmons College, Simmons School of Social Work, Boston, MA
Edna A. Viruell-Fuentes, PhD, MPH, Department of Latina/Latino Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
Experiences of discrimination are common for racial/ethnic minorities, including Latinos, and a well-documented risk factor for myriad adverse health outcomes. Exposure to discrimination is likely shaped by a group’s social status; however, data on predictors of discrimination are lacking. While discrimination occurs at multiple levels, most studies have examined this phenomenon at the individual level, leaving fragmented our understanding of how the larger social context, including social policies, affects discrimination. Anti-immigrant policies stigmatize foreign and US-born Latinos by creating a hostile social environment, and increasing exposure to discrimination. Using data from a 2013 nationally representative sample of Latino adults in the US (n=719), merged with an index that measures immigrant policies, we investigated the effects of state-level anti-immigrant policy on discrimination, and tested whether this association differed by individual-level socio-demographic variables. We fit hierarchical logistic regression models with random intercept terms to account for clustering within states. In fully adjusted models (individual and state covariates), more anti-immigrant polices were associated with increased discrimination (OR=1.86, 95% CI 1.55-2.44, p=0.01). This association was strongest for third generation Latinos relative to first and second generation. Among Puerto Ricans, more anti-immigrant policies were associated with lower discrimination. Our study demonstrates that anti-immigrant policies directly impact experiences of discrimination among immigrant and non-immigrant Latinos in the US. In turn these experiences likely explain some of the health disparities among Latinos. We discuss the implications of our findings, and draw implications for understanding the impact that anti-immigrant policies may have across different Latino sub-groups.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Explain the direct effects of anti-immigrant policy and individual-level covariates on perceived discrimination among Latinos in the US. Describe how the association between state-level anti-immigrant policy and perceived discrimination differs by individual-level characteristics. Assess the ways in which state-level anti-immigrant policy may indirectly affect the health and well-being of Latinos in the US.

Keyword(s): Latinos, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conceptualized this study, developed analysis plan, interpreted findings and wrote results. In addition, I took the lead on the paper associated with this abstract. My doctoral training and research has been focused on the social determinants of Latino health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.