Intersectional discrimination and mental health inequalities: A qualitative study of young women’s experiences in Scotland

Tinner, L. and Alonso Curbelo, A. (2024) Intersectional discrimination and mental health inequalities: A qualitative study of young women’s experiences in Scotland. International Journal for Equity in Health, 23, 45. (doi: 10.1186/s12939-024-02133-3) (PMID:38424534) (PMCID:PMC10903064)

Abstract

Background In 2021, Scotland became the first UK country to launch a Women’s Health Plan. This policy signals increasing commitment to broader ambitions surrounding gender equality in health. Research shows a connection between discrimination and health, representing a contributor to health inequalities. There remains sparse evidence on how certain groups experience discrimination that could be useful for policymaking. This research set out to address this evidence gap through exploring how discrimination shapes young women’s experiences of mental health and inequalities in Scotland. Methods We interviewed women aged 16-25 years (n=28), living in Scotland, UK, adopting an intersectional approach to recruitment and data analysis. We used a semi-structured topic guide to facilitate open discussion about discrimination and health. Transcripts were analysed by two researchers using Thematic Analysis and NVivo software. Findings We identified three themes that illuminate intersectional discrimination and the impact on mental health. The first outlines how experiences of discrimination in school, work and public spaces (and the anticipation of such) creates stress leading to mental health problems, particularly for participants from ethnic minority groups. The second highlights the lack of support for mental health, both at structural and interpersonal levels, which was viewed by young women as a form of intersectional discrimination, largely because of their gender and age. Finally, we developed a mid-level theory termed the ‘chain of dismissal’ that displays that for both physical or mental health symptoms, young women’s concerns are immediately “written off” as anxiety-related and in turn a natural attribute of young women. These themes show that discrimination has the potential to amplify mental health problems for young women and is a likely contributor to health inequalities. Conclusions Structural disadvantages such as racism intersect with gender and age to compound the experience of discrimination for marginalised young women. To improve mental health and reduce health inequalities for young women, multi-level approaches are needed, with strong consideration of how the structural and cultural landscape as well as assumptions made by healthcare professionals have critical implications for young women’s health.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was funded as part of LT’s Economic and Social Research Council Policy Fellowship within The Scottish Government [Grant ref: ES/W00822X/1]. AAC was funded by a The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science PhD internship within the Scottish Government.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Alonso Curbelo, Ana
• Authors: Tinner, L., and Alonso Curbelo, A.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences
• Journal Name: International Journal for Equity in Health
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• ISSN: 1475-9276
• ISSN (Online): 1475-9276
• Copyright Holders: Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024
• First Published: First published in International Journal for Equity in Health 23: 45
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence