Exploring the impacts of housing discrimination on symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder among Indigenous university students

Abstract

Racial discrimination has been associated with a number of adverse health outcomes. There is limited information regarding racially-motivated housing discrimination and health. This thesis included two studies. Study 1 was a scoping review that examined the impacts of housing discrimination on physical and mental health, and educational pursuits across various ethnic minorities. Study 2 examined the impacts of housing discrimination on PTSD symptomology and university stress among Canadian Indigenous students. Results indicate racially-motivated housing discrimination was associated with reduced physical health outcomes (Study 1); and reduced mental health including increased depression (Study 1) and PTSD symptomology (Study 2). Racially motivated housing discrimination was also associated qualitatively with reduced motivation at university (Study 1), and quantitatively with increased perceptions of stress while at university (Study 2). The results highlight the need for greater policies and program supports to address this problem.