Experiencias de discriminación étnico-racial e ideación suicida en población adulta peruana: el rol mediador de las emociones

Introduction: Experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination have an impact on the mental health of those who have suffered it. Peru is one of the countries with the highest perception of racism; however, few studies have addressed its effects on emotional aspects; therefore, the aim was to examine the mediating role of depression, anxiety and the propensity to anger in the relationship between experiences of discrimination and suicidal ideation in the Peruvian population. Method: 632 individuals (65.20% women), aged between 18 and 63 years (M = 25.03; SD = 8.03) participated and were administered the Experiences of Discrimination Scale (EOD), the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Generalized Anxiety Dissorder-2 (GAD-2), the Anger Propensity Scale (APS-G) and the Suicide Ideation Frequency Scale (IFIS). An explanatory model was created using structural regression, testing for invariance according to sex and age. Results: The model fit was excellent and invariant in both groups and showed that discrimination experiences have a direct effect on the propensity to anger, depression and anxiety. This latter was the best predictor and mediator of suicidal ideation. The model was invariant by sex and age. Conclusions: Discrimination negatively affects the mental health of those who experience it and may produce higher frequency of suicidal ideation through anxiety regardless of sex and age.