People who have experienced racial discrimination report greater difficulty in achieving their goals, increased personal discomfort and the perception that they aren’t getting the best health care, according to a new study by the American Public Health Association.

Blacks and Latinos who reported experiencing discrimination were more likely to score lower on an assessment of their mental health, even after controlling for age, gender, education, employment and health insurance.

“The bottom line is that racial discrimination is a risk factor for mental health, and by extension, physical health,” says Gilbert Gee of the School of Public Health, who co-authored the study with colleagues at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and the New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition. The findings were announced Sept. 28 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

“Policies that strengthen civil rights, reduce discrimination or encourage multiculturalism aren’t just feel-good programs,” says Gee, an assistant professor of health behavior and health education. “They might have an important effect on health outcomes as well.”

The New Hampshire Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health initiative (REACH) surveyed more than 650 Blacks, Mexican-Americans and other Latinos living in New Hampshire, which is 95 percent white. Each participant was asked about his or her experiences of discrimination and interactions with the health care system, and his or her mental health was measured. “Having served the minority populations of southern New Hampshire for the past 10 years, the findings in this study reinforce the need to ensure access to quality health care for all populations,” says Jazmin Miranda-Smith, executive director of the New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition. “We can help minority populations deal with their experiences of discrimination by assisting health care providers through cultural competency training. The coalition is a leader in this field in New Hampshire.”

Half of all participants reported that discrimination impeded their ability to achieve their goals. Half reported feeling discomfort in the way others treated them because of their race, and one-quarter reported encountering discrimination in health care. These reports of discrimination are linked to lower mental health and are not explained by access to health insurance, education, employment, income, age or gender.

“Policies designed to reduce discrimination and promote civil rights may not only be a moral imperative, but also a key tool in protecting the public health,” says David Laflamme, a research assistant professor in health management and policy at UNH.

The latest findings linking discrimination to mental health are part of a worldwide pattern that is emerging in such studies, Gee says.

“As a provider of community mental health services, we are witness to the negative impact discrimination has on a person’s mental health,” says Peter Janelle, president and chief executive officer of the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester (N.H.). “Not only does it aggravate the symptoms experienced, but it is often a barrier to seeking help and complicates the process of establishing therapeutic relationships. We need to become a more culturally aware society, and mental health providers need to avail themselves of cultural competence training.”

The REACH initiative and the study were funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study’s authors are Gee, Laflamme, Andrew Ryan of Brandeis University and Jeanie Holt of the New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition.