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Journal of Happiness Studies

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01-08-2015 | Research Paper

Perceived Discrimination and Well-Being in Romanian Immigrants: The Role of Social Support

Authors: Itziar Fernández, Prado Silván-Ferrero, Fernando Molero, Elena Gaviria, Cristina García-Ael

Published in: Journal of Happiness Studies | Issue 4/2015

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Abstract

In this study, carried out with Romanian immigrants (N = 202), the aim was to test the extent to which discrimination in the workplace, health and legal contexts is linked to an important aspect of psychological well-being: self-acceptance. The results showed that immigrants had a relatively low level of perceived discrimination and good scores in self-acceptance, except for those who were unemployed. In addition, we examined the role of seeking social support in the relationship between perceived personal discrimination and self-acceptance. The structural equations analysis provided evidence that the postulated models fit the data well. Thus, it was confirmed that the higher the perceived personal discrimination, the lower the self-acceptance. The data also indicated that seeking social support mediates between perceived discrimination and psychological well-being. These findings demonstrate the protective effect of social support for the mental health of immigrants.

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Title: Perceived Discrimination and Well-Being in Romanian Immigrants: The Role of Social Support
Authors: Itziar Fernández
Prado Silván-Ferrero
Fernando Molero
Elena Gaviria
Cristina García-Ael
Publication date: 01-08-2015
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Journal of Happiness Studies / Issue 4/2015
Print ISSN: 1389-4978
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7780
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-014-9537-0

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