Correlates of Perceived Discrimination in Healthcare Amongst Black Women

Abstract

This paper examined the impact of medical racism on Black women. Topics explored include Black racial identity, emotion regulation, group-based medical mistrust, perceived social support, and perceived discrimination experiences. The Socioecological Model was used to examine the interplay of factors at the interpersonal, intrapersonal, and institutional levels concerning experiences of perceived discrimination in healthcare settings. The research interest is in how implicit biases contribute to health disparities amongst Black American women. Bivariate correlations suggest relationships between centrality, social support, group-based medical mistrust, and perceived discrimination. Hierarchical regression analysis was indicative of medical mistrust as the most meaningful indicator of perceived discrimination. This study significantly identified relationships between centrality and group-based medical mistrust, centrality, and perceived discrimination, with group-based medical mistrust as a considerable standalone predictor.