Occupational Health Disparities ─ Improving the Well-Being of Ethnic and Racial Minority Workers

Racial and ethnic minority groups in the workforce are prone to higher rates of work-related diseases, injuries, and psychological distress than non-minorities. The severity and types of hazards minorities face are also very different because they may work in more physically demanding, labor-intensive jobs--jobs that often do not provide full benefits or enough income to allow access to proper healthcare. Fortunately, the burgeoning field of occupational health psychology (OHP), with its focus on worker wellbeing, is ideally positioned to address these disparities and improve conditions for minority workers.

To fully understand the needs of racial and ethnic minorities, however, OHP requires a more multicultural perspective. This book thus gathers experts in OHP and multicultural psychology to establish an evidence-based framework that will promote advancements in policy, research, and interventions, all of which are needed to reduce occupational health disparities (OHDs). Chapters review the disparities that Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans face in variety of industries, including agriculture, transportation, construction, nursing, and information technology. They also explore a wide array of issues that impact OHDs, such as socioeconomic status; education; discriminatory and hostile work environments; lack of effective safety training; language proficiency; and other cultural, community, and organizational factors.

Frederick T. L. Leong, PhD, is a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Michigan State University, and director of the Consortium for Multicultural Psychology Research. He has authored or coauthored over 290 journal articles and book chapters and either edited or coedited 20 books. He is editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Counseling (Sage Publications) and the APA Handbook of Multicultural Psychology (APA Books). He is the founding editor of the Asian American Journal of Psychology and the associate editor of the Archives of Scientific Psychology. Dr. Leong served as associate editor of the American Psychologist, and the lead editor of the Handbook of Asian American Psychology, 2nd Edition (Sage Publications). His major research interests center on culture and mental health, cross-cultural psychotherapy (especially with Asians and Asian Americans), cultural and personality factors related to career choice, adaptability, and work stress. He is the recipient of the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology, Stanley Sue Award for Distinguished Contributions to Diversity in Clinical Psychology from APA’s Division 12, APA Division 45 Distinguished Contributions to Research Award, APA Minority Fellowship Program’s Dalmas Taylor Distinguished Contributions Award, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Asian American Psychological Association, and the APA Award for Distinguished Service to Psychological Science.

Donald E. Eggerth, PhD, is a senior researcher with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. He received his degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Eggerth is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 17 and 45) and a recipient of the Dorothy Booz Black Award for outstanding achievement in health psychology. He currently manages a portfolio of projects concerning Latino immigrant worker safety and health.

Chu-Hsiang (Daisy) Chang, PhD, is an associate professor in the department of psychology at Michigan State University. She received her PhD in industrial and organizational psychology from the University of Akron. Her research interests focus on occupational health and safety, leadership, and motivation. Specifically, she studies issues related to occupational stress, workplace violence, and how employee motivation and organizational leadership intersect with issues concerning employee health and wellbeing. Her work has been published in Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Psychological Bulletin, and Work & Stress. She has served as an associate editor at Applied Psychology: An International Review and Journal of Organizational Behavior, and is currently serving as an associate editor with the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Michael A. Flynn, MA, is a social scientist with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) where he serves as the project officer for a program of research to better understand and improve the occupational health of immigrant workers. He also serves NIOSH as the coordinator for the Occupational Health Equity Program. He is an applied anthropologist whose research interests include social determinates of health, organizational culture, and intervention effectiveness as they relate to occupational health. Mr. Flynn has a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Cincinnati, and is a research fellow of the Consortium for Multicultural Psychology Research at Michigan State University.

J. Kevin Ford, PhD, is a professor and associate chair of psychology at Michigan State University. His major research interests involve improving learning and retention in the workplace through training and other learning activities. Dr. Ford also concentrates on organizational change and how to build continuous learning and improvement orientations within organizations. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He received his BS in psychology from the University of Maryland and both his MA and PhD in psychology from The Ohio State University.

Rubén O. Martinez, PhD, is a professor of sociology and director of the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University. He is the editor of the Latinos in the United States book series with the Michigan State University Press. He has co-authored several books, including Chicanos in Higher Education (1993), Diversity Leadership in Higher Education (2007), and A Brief History of Cristo Rey Church in Lansing, MI (2012); edited volumes include Latinos in the Midwest (2011) and co-edited a volume titled Latino College Presidents: In Their Own Words (2013). His research interests include neoliberalism and Latinos, diversity leadership in higher education, education and ethnic minorities, Latino labor and entrepreneurship, and environmental justice issues.