Page 304 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

11. PERSONALITY-BASED UNFAIR DISCRIMINATION
environmental stressors and stress. As a result, such stressors will have
a more negative impact on members of many minority groups than on
members of more advantaged groups (e.g., Whites).
Confounding of the Race-Strain Relation 271
Several studies have shown that when SES effects are held constant statis­
tically, the magnitude of the relation between race and psychological strain
(e.g., anxiety, depression) drops markedly. Thus, some have argued that
race is not an independent determinant of psychological distress. Rather,
it serves as a proxy for SES.
On its face, evidence of a decrease in the magnitude of the relation
between race and psychological strain when SES is controlled might be
interpreted as meaning that Blacks and other minorities are no worse off
in terms of psychological strain than are Whites. However, because race
and SES are related, strain is far more common among Blacks and other
minorities than it is among Whites. Moreover, it merits noting that the
stronger the correlation between predictor variables, the lesser the ability
of multiple regression or any other statistical technique to determine the
relative importance of such variables for predicting any given outcome
(Darlington, 1968; Stone-Romero & Rosopa, 2004). Because of this, nonex­
perimental research aimed at determining the relationship between race
and stress, controlling for SES, has little or no capacity to provide convinc­
ing and credible evidence on the relative importance of race and SES as
determinants of strain.
Interestingly, however, research shows that even when SES is controlled,
minority group status is negatively related to psychological well-being. For
example, research by Dohrenwend (1975) demonstrated that Puerto Ricans
have higher levels of psychiatric disorder than do non-Puerto Ricans. In
addition, other research shows evidence of interactions between race and
SES in predicting psychological health. For instance, a study by Kessler
and Neighbors (1986) showed that at low levels of SES, African Americans
had higher rates of psychological distress than did Whites. Thus, as a re­
sult of exposure to a host of environmental stressors, members of several
minority groups manifest greater levels of stress and psychological strain
(e.g., anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem) than do Whites. Therefore,
the typical minority group member will appear to have higher NA than
will the typical White person. The very important implication of this is
that researchers and practitioners who subscribe to the view that NA is a
trait (e.g., Brief et al., 1988; Burke et al., 1993; Watson & Clark, 1984) will
erroneously regard signs of strain as attributable to the stable characteristic
of individuals, rather than the result of environmental stressors.