Seven decades after the Holocaust, almost half of Jewish citizens in Germany nowadays report to have been victims of antisemitic harassment, and about two thirds worry about being victim of antisemitism-motivated physical attack. The theory of racism-related stress sees such experiences of racism, be they perceived or real, as chronic psychological stressors that can be detrimental to mental health and well-being. While this hypothesis received support from recent studies on racial and ethnic minorities, very little is known about the impact of antisemitic discrimination on Jewish citizens, particularly in a European context.
To fill this gap, we conducted a survey among Jews in Germany (January-March 2022, N = 400) with several objectives. First, we hypothesized that similar to other stigmatized minorities, antisemitism is a source of chronic stress in the lives of Jews in Germany, resulting in poorer mental health and even diminished social participation. Second, we examine the detrimental effects of antisemitic discrimination, microaggressions, which involve brief and common indignities that communicate antisemitic views, and the mere perception that antisemitism is prevailing in society, in order to examine whether soft and indirect experiences also lead to negative outcomes. Finally, we examined coping strategies victims of antisemitism employ, or avoid, and their role in mediating the effects of antisemitism. We also considered social identification and social support as potential buffers against these detrimental effects.
Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that experienced or perceived, blatant or subtle antisemitism is positively and moderately correlated with depression, anxiety, and irritation, and negatively correlated with subjective well-being, self-esteem, and social participation.
Results of path analysis found significant indirect effects between antisemitism and negative outcomes, and revealed the benefits of both problem- and emotion-focused engagement, which mitigated the negative impact on mental health. Unfortunately, Jews who experience more antisemitic discrimination also reported to use more disengagement strategies, which exacerbate negative outcomes. Finally, Social support and ethno-religious identification did not buffer against the negative effect of antisemitism.
Overall, the results confirm that similar to other racial, ethnic, or religious minorities, Jews in Germany experience racism-related stress and psychological maladjustment on the background of widespread antisemitism. Implications for counselling services and intervention programs are discussed. We also describe the contribution of this study to research on antisemitism and ethnic psychology.
