Race and culture in health research: a facilitated discussion

G5 - Minor Reports and Working Paper

Patterns and correlates of self-reported racial discrimination among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, 2008–09: analysis of national survey data

BackgroundThere is now considerable evidence that racism is a pernicious and enduring social problem with a wide range of detrimental outcomes for individuals, communities and societies. Although indigenous people worldwide are subjected to high levels of racism, there is a paucity of population-based, quantitative data about the factors associated with their reporting of racial discrimination, about the settings in which such discrimination takes place, and about the frequency with which it is experienced. Such information is essential in efforts to reduce both exposure to racism among indigenous people and the harms associated with such exposure.MethodsWeighted data on self-reported racial discrimination from over 7,000 Indigenous Australian adults participating in the 2008–09 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, were analysed by socioeconomic, demographic and cultural factors.ResultsMore than one in four respondents (27%) reported experiencing racial discrimination in the past year. Racial discrimination was most commonly reported in public (41% of those reporting any racial discrimination), legal (40%) and work (30%) settings. Among those reporting any racial discrimination, about 40% experienced this discrimination most or all of the time (as opposed to a little or some of the time) in at least one setting. Reporting of racial discrimination peaked in the 35–44 year age group and then declined. Higher reporting of racial discrimination was associated with removal from family, low trust, unemployment, having a university degree, and indicators of cultural identity and participation. Lower reporting of racial discrimination was associated with home ownership, remote residence and having relatively few Indigenous friends.ConclusionsThese data indicate that racial discrimination is commonly experienced across a wide variety of settings, with public, legal and work settings identified as particularly salient. The observed relationships, while not necessarily causal, help to build a detailed picture of self-reported racial discrimination experienced by Indigenous people in contemporary Australia, providing important evidence to inform anti-racism policy

Organizational Assessment: An Overlooked Approach To Managing Diversity And Addressing Racism In The Workplace

Strategies to manage diversity and address racism within organizations are fast becoming routine practice. This is especially important given the demographic compositions of workforces are changing and evidence that racism is commonplace within workplaces and associated with a range of detrimental economic, social and health outcomes. In this paper, we consider organizational assessment as a largely overlooked approach to managing diversity and addressing racism in the workplace. Approaches to organizational assessment in the fields of diversity management and cultural competency are explored and critiqued before turning to a review of organizational assessment tools focused on managing diversity and/or addressing racism. A critical review of the eight tools that met the inclusion criteria led to the formulation of six key principles to guide the selection of organizational assessment tools.. Current organizational assessment tools lack an explicit focus on addressing systemic racism and require further refinement and testing in order to effectively manage diversity and address racism in the workplace

Socio-demographic factors and psychological distress in Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian adults aged 18-64 years: analysis of national survey data

BackgroundIndigenous Australians are known to be at greater risk of morbidity and mortality from mental health related conditions, but most available data relate to the use of mental health services, and little is known about other aspects of social and emotional wellbeing. Using the first available nationally representative data, we examined the prevalence and patterning of psychological distress among Indigenous Australian adults and compared these with corresponding data from the non-Indigenous population.MethodsThe analysis used weighted data on psychological distress, as measured by a modified Kessler Psychological Distress score (K5), and a range of socio-demographic measures for 5,417 Indigenous and 15,432 non-Indigenous adults aged 18-64 years from two nationally representative surveys. Very high psychological distress (VHPD) was defined as a K5 score ≥ 15 (possible range = 5-25).ResultsIndigenous adults were about three times more likely than non-Indigenous adults to be classified with VHPD: 14.5% (95% confidence interval (CI) 12.9-16.0%) versus 5.5% (95% CI 5.0-5.9%). After adjusting for age, most socio-demographic variables were significantly associated with VHPD in both populations, although the relative odds were generally larger among non-Indigenous people. Indigenous people in remote areas had a lower prevalence of VHPD than their non-remote counterparts, and only marital status, main language, and food insecurity were significantly associated with VHPD in remote areas.ConclusionsHigher absolute levels of VHPD combined with smaller socio-demographic gradients in the Indigenous population suggest the importance of risk factors such as interpersonal racism, marginalization and dispossession, chronic stress and exposure to violence that are experienced by Indigenous Australians with common and/or cross-cutting effects across the socioeconomic spectrum. The lower prevalence of VHPD and lack of association with many socio-demographic variables in remote areas suggests either that the instrument may be less valid for Indigenous people living in remote areas or that living in an Indigenous majority environment (such as exists in most remote communities) may mitigate the risk of psychological distress to some degree

The impact of racism on indigenous health in Australia and Aotearoa: towards a research agenda

It is well established that Indigenous Australians and Māori have higher levels of ill health and mortality than non-Indigenous people. It is also clear that the disadvantage suffered by Indigenous peoples2 is associated with both historical and contemporary racism, colonisation and oppression. Both an ‘adequate state of health’ and ‘freedom from racism’ are rights enshrined in legislation in Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand).3 Although several recent national and international reports have shown a link between racism and public health, there is little research on this topic in Australia or Aotearoa. In response to this paucity of research, the ‘Racism and Indigenous Health’ symposium was held at The University of Melbourne on 27 November 2007. This event brought together 35 key researchers and policy-makers from Australia and Aotearoa in the area of racism and Indigenous health to discuss recent findings in this field and to set an agenda for future research. The symposium endorsed a cohesive research agenda to advance our understanding of, and our ability to combat, racism as a threat to Indigenous health in Australia and Aotearoa. Five key research questions were identified from the symposium: • What is the prevalence and experience of racism across the life course for Indigenous peoples? • What impact does racism have on Indigenous health across the life course? • How can we appropriately assess systemic racism against Indigenous peoples? • What are the best ways to address systemic racism against Indigenous peoples? • How can an understanding of the ways in which societal systems produce advantage and positive health outcomes for White Australians and Pākehā New Zealanders help improve Indigenous health? These key questions focus on systemic racism, stressing the importance of further research on the prevalence of racism, its impact on Indigenous health and approaches to eliminating it from society. The symposium also highlighted the need to explore the benefits of racial socialisation (i.e. learning about the nature and ubiquity of racism in society) and to find effective ways to combat interpersonal racism against Indigenous peoples. Improvements in health system performance were supported as an approach to addressing systemic racism in health care, and the symposium emphasised the need to systematically estimate the cost of racism to society in Australia and Aotearoa. This discussion paper highlights the vital importance of sound research in endeavours to combat racism as a threat to Indigenous health in Australia and Aotearoa. We hope that this paper will act as an impetus to policy and decision-makers at the national, regional and local levels to engage in efforts to combat racism against Indigenous peoples as a public health intervention

Critical evaluation of a program to foster reflexive antiracism

This paper documents the evaluation of a three-day program entitled “Race, Culture, Indigeneity and the Politics of Disadvantage,” which was delivered in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia with the aim of promoting Reflexive Antiracism (RA), a novel diversity training approach. To assess the impact of the program on its participants, the Reflexive Antiracism Scale- Indigenous (RAS-I) was devised and administered before and after the program both to participants and a matched control group. The program increased Reflexive Antiracism among participants through an enhanced understanding of whiteness, racialisation and White Racial Identity. Future studies are required to advance both the concept of Reflexive Antiracism and its measurement