Experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination, self-esteem, and subjective well-being in the Peruvian population

Introduction Ethnic-racial discrimination can have adverse effects on the physical health and psychological wellbeing of those who experience it. Peru is a country where the perception of discrimination based on race/ethnicity is high. However, few psychological studies have addressed this issue. In this regard, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination, self-esteem, and subjective wellbeing in a Peruvian sample. Material and methods Using a cross-sectional associative design, a structural regression model was created with R software, in which experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination predict self-esteem and subjective wellbeing, and these are correlated. To this end, 645 Peruvian adults (65.1% women and 34.9% men) between the ages of 18 and 63 ( M = 24.97; SD = 8.02) were included. Results The model showed adequate fit for the overall sample (CFI = 0.990; TLI = 0.989; RMSEA = 0.072; SRMR = 0.059), indicating that experiences of discrimination decrease self-esteem (β = −0.111) and subjective well-being (β = −0.087; p = 0.076); however, the effects were small. In addition, the model was found to be invariant across gender and age. At the descriptive level, men and younger individuals experienced greater effects. Conclusions Experiences of ethnic and racial discrimination can lower self-esteem, but their effects are minor. Similarly, with subjective wellbeing, however, the effects are almost null. This relationship is more pronounced in males and younger individuals.