Experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination, self-esteem, and subjective well-being in the Peruvian population

Sánchez-Villena A.R.; Temple-Focón I. · Frontiers in Psychology (2026) · DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1777639

Resumen

Introduction – Ethnic-racial discrimination can have adverse effects on the physical health and psychological wellbeing of those who experience it. Peru is a country where the perception of discrimination based on race/ethnicity is high. However, few psychological studies have addressed this issue. In this regard, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination, self-esteem, and subjective wellbeing in a Peruvian sample. Material and methods – Using a cross-sectional associative design, a structural regression model was created with R software, in which experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination predict self-esteem and subjective wellbeing, and these are correlated. To this end, 645 Peruvian adults (65.1% women and 34.9% men) between the ages of 18 and 63 (M = 24.97; SD = 8.02) were included. Results – The model showed adequate fit for the overall sample (CFI = 0.990; TLI = 0.989; RMSEA = 0.072; SRMR = 0.059), indicating that experiences of discrimination decrease self-esteem (β = −0.111) and subjective well-being (β = −0.087; p = 0.076); however, the effects were small. In addition, the model was found to be invariant across gender and age. At the descriptive level, men and younger individuals experienced greater effects. Conclusions – Experiences of ethnic and racial discrimination can lower self-esteem, but their effects are minor. Similarly, with subjective wellbeing, however, the effects are almost null. This relationship is more pronounced in males and younger individuals. Copyright

Instituciones: Universidad Privada del Norte; Universidad Señor de Sipán