Identity, Perceived Religious Discrimination, and Psychological Well-Being in Muslim Immigrant Women

Published 2011. Contact: Marieke Jasperse.

Overview

The complexity of Muslim identities in Western countries has been widely acknowledged, and contextual influences on shaping, maintaining, and expressing these identities have been frequently discussed. Muslim identity has been variably analysed in terms of race, ethnicity, culture, and religion, although none of these labels alone appears to capture its essence adequately.

The study investigated perceived religious discrimination and three facets of Muslim identity (psychological, behavioural and visible) as predictors of psychological well-being (life satisfaction and psychological symptoms) of 153 Muslim women in New Zealand.

Outcome

The results indicated that although visibility (wearing hijab) was associated with greater perceived discrimination, it predicted positive psychological outcomes. Analysis further revealed that the psychological (pride, belongingness, and centrality) and behavioural (engaging in Islamic practices) facets of Muslim identity moderated the relationship between perceived religious discrimination and well-being.

A strong psychological affiliation with Islam exacerbated the negative relationship between perceived religious discrimination and well-being. Conversely, engaging in Islamic practices buffered the negative impact of discrimination. The research highlights the complexity of Muslim identity in diasporic women.

Read the report "Identity, Perceived Religious Discrimination, and Psychological Well-Being in Muslim Immigrant Women" here .