Religion, spirituality and belief: Prejudice and discrimination
Some religious groups face prejudice and discrimination in Scotland, which can negatively impact health and wellbeing.
Williams et al (2019) outline some examples of how discrimination in general can impact health:
- Poorer mental health, low self-esteem, low quality of life, and psychiatric disorders and conduct disorders
- Negative health behaviours as a coping mechanism
- Avoidance of health professionals and settings, resulting in delays in seeking healthcare and lower adherence to medical recommendations
- Biases among health professionals and systems can restrict access to resources such as referrals, treatment, care and support.
Discrimination may also occur within religious groups which can impact health and wellbeing. The Dimensions of Diversity (2010) (4.4MB) report notes that, ‘some religious interpretations may lead to particular expectations or attitudes (e.g., towards gender equality or of acceptable forms of sexual expression) that could create tensions in the pursuit of equality across all strands.’.
More information on racism, prejudice and discrimination in Scotland can be found on the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights website.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde provide some examples of how religious discrimination in healthcare can impact health outcomes.
Please note: If you require the most up-to-date data available, please check the data sources directly as new data may have been published since these data pages were last updated. Although we endeavour to ensure that the data pages are kept up-to-date, there may be a time lag between new data being published and the relevant ScotPHO web pages being updated.
