Racial discrimination is associated with distressing subthreshold positive psychotic symptoms among US urban ethnic minority young adults.
BACKGROUND
Racial discrimination is related to depression, anxiety, and severe psychological distress, and evidence drawn from studies emanating from the United Kingdom and The Netherlands suggest racial discrimination is also related to clinical psychosis and subthreshold psychotic symptoms in racial and ethnic minority (REM) populations. The present study sought to determine the association between racial discrimination experiences and attenuated positive psychotic symptoms (APPS) in a United States (US) urban, predominantly immigrant and REM young adult population.


METHODS
A cohort of 650 young adults was administered a self-report inventory for psychosis risk [i.e., Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ)], and the Experiences of Discrimination Questionnaire. The PQ allowed the dimensional assessment of APPS, as well as the categorical assessment of a potentially "high risk" group (i.e., 8 or more APPS endorsed as distressing), the latter of which was based on previous validation studies using the structured interview for prodromal syndromes. The relations between self-reported racial discrimination and APPS, and racial discrimination and "high" distressing positive PQ endorsement were determined, while accounting for anxiety and depression symptoms.


RESULTS
Racial discrimination was significantly associated with APPS and with significantly higher odds of endorsing eight or more distressing APPS, even after adjusting for anxiety and depression symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study provides preliminary evidence that racial discrimination among US ethnic minorities may be associated with APPS, as well as potentially higher risk for psychosis.
The City College and Graduate Center of New York, CUNY, 160 Convent Ave North Academic Center 8/125, New York, NY, 10031, USA, dma2105@gmail.com.
Deidre M
DM
Anglin
Quenesha
Q
Lighty
Michelle
M
Greenspoon
Lauren M
LM
Ellman
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D062706:Prodromal Symptoms; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D063505:Racism / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult