Diskriminierungserfahrungen und Depressivität - Eine Befragung zu Formen, Merkmalen und Lebensbereichen

In Germany there are only few studies on the relationship between discrimination and health and there is a lack of established instruments for multidimensional assessment of discrimination. The study examined how often adults living in Germany experience discrimination and whether these experiences are related to the presence of depressive symptoms. The online survey of n = 403 persons was based on a self-developed questionnaire consisting of internationally published items. Depressiveness was assessed via the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ‑9) and correlations were evaluated with linear regression analyses. Most frequently reported were being laughed at (discrimination form), gender/physical appearance (discrimination characteristics) and education/work (life domain). The frequency of discrimination was a significant predictor of the presence of depressive symptoms. Experiences of discrimination should be considered as potential stress factors in the psychotherapeutic anamnesis, diagnostics, prognosis and therapy.