Stress grounded in experiences of racial discrimination: a cluster analysis among a racially diverse sample in Canada

Background and Objective: Previous studies have shown that experience of racial discrimination is associated with increased mental health problems, especially stress. Using a cluster analytical procedure, the current study aimed to examine stress characteristics related to racial discrimination in individuals from diverse racial identities.Method: In total, 4220 participants completed the questionnaires assessing stress, resilience, everyday racial discrimination, and experience of major racial discrimination. K-means cluster analysis was performed to cluster participants' features regarding stress, resilience, everyday racial discrimination, and major racial discrimination. To determine the optimal number of clusters, the gap statistic was employed. Extracted clusters were then compared across racial groups using chi-square tests.Results: Cluster analysis revealed a three-cluster solution, including 'low stress', 'stress cluster with high racial discrimination', and 'stress cluster with low racial discrimination' clusters. Concerning the race-differences, Black (32.57%) and Indigenous (33.63%) participants had higher membership in the stress cluster with high racial discrimination compared to other racialized groups. Regarding the stress cluster with low racial discrimination, a higher membership was observed among Arab participants (30.82%) and those with other racial identities (30.40%) compared to other racialized groups.Conclusions: The findings demonstrate a type of stress characterized by high levels of racial discrimination and accompanying psychosocial burdens. Implications for intervention, prevention, and future research are discussed in the paper.