Discrimination in Medical Settings and Attitudes toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Role of Distrust in Conventional Providers

Authors

Tetyana Shippee, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and ManagementFollow
Carrie Henning-Smith, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and ManagementFollow
Nathan Shippee, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and ManagementFollow
Jessie Kemmick Pintor, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and ManagementFollow
Kathleen T. Call, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and ManagementFollow
Donna McAlpine, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Health Policy and ManagementFollow
Pamela Jo Johnson, Medica Research Institute, Minnetonka, MN; University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Community HealthFollow

Keywords

Discrimination; Complementary Medicine; Race/Ethnicity; Nativity; Trust

Disciplines

Alternative and Complementary Medicine | Health Services Research | Immune System Diseases | Public Health | Virus Diseases

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between racial/ethnic discrimination in medical settings, distrust in conventional medicine, and attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among a racially/ethnically diverse sample. We also investigate how this relationship differs by nativity. Data are from a 2008 statewide stratified sample of publicly insured adults in Minnesota (N=2,194). Discrimination was measured as self-reported unfair treatment in medical settings due to race, ethnicity, and/or nationality. Outcomes are trust in conventional providers/medicine and attitudes toward CAM modalities. Discrimination in medical settings was positively associated with 1) distrust in conventional providers and 2) favorable attitudes toward CAM. Foreign-born status was associated with more distrust in conventional providers/medicine and more positive attitudes toward CAM. Our findings show that for publicly insured, and especially minority and foreign-born individuals, CAM may represent a response to disenfranchisement in conventional medical settings and resulting distrust.

Recommended Citation

Shippee, Tetyana; Henning-Smith, Carrie; Shippee, Nathan; Kemmick Pintor, Jessie; Call, Kathleen T.; McAlpine, Donna; and Johnson, Pamela Jo (2013) "Discrimination in Medical Settings and Attitudes toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Role of Distrust in Conventional Providers," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol6/iss1/3