The Role of Stress and Perceived Social Support in the Association Between Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health Among Migrant Domestic Workers in Hong Kong.

Abstract

International migrant workers often face discrimination and poor work conditions that may negatively affect their mental health. Female migrant domestic workers (MDW), who often must reside in their place of work, may face additional daily stressors and discrimination compared with other international migrant workers. To address the stresses from discrimination and other challenges faced by MDWs, use of social support networks are often encouraged to improve mental well-being. This study seeks to examine the mediating effect of stress between perceived discrimination and self-reported mental health and the moderating role of perceived social support. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted during August 2020 - August 2021 among female MDWs in Hong Kong, China (n = 1965). In addition to assessing the association between perceived discrimination with anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9), a moderated mediation analysis examined the mediating role of stress and moderating role of perceived social support. Of respondents, 60.4% experienced at least occasional discrimination. Higher levels of perceived discrimination were significantly directly associated with both increased anxiety and depression (p < 0.05). Stress significantly mediated this association. Perceived social support significantly moderated the mediation pathway but did not moderate the direct effect of perceived discrimination on mental health. Increasing social support channels may alleviate the effects of increased stress from perceived discrimination on MDWs' mental health. Policy-level campaigns to reduce discrimination against migrant workers should be considered.