Abstract
South Asians are a fast growing racial and ethnic minority in the United States (ResearchCenter, 2025). Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in the US,
across men, women, and individuals from every racial/ethnic group (Ahmad et al., 2023).
Research has shown South Asian Americans have higher mortality rates from
atherosclerotic CVD (Jose et al., 2014). Discrimination has been associated with
increased stroke risk factors among ethnic minority Americans, such as elevated
hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, tobacco use, and poor diet (Turkson-
Ocran et al., 2020). However, the role of intersectional discrimination, which is when two
or more identities operate simultaneously and interact in an inseparable manner,
producing a distinct form of discrimination (Bauer 2014; Scheim & Bauer, 2019), is not
properly understood. Therefore, the current study explored the relationship between
intersectional discrimination and stroke risk among South Asian Americans (N=136).
Hierarchical regression analyses were performed, with using demographic variables,
perceived ethnic discrimination and intersectional discrimination to predict perceived
stroke risk. The results found that day-to-day intersectional discrimination significantly
predicted perceived stroke risk F(1, 115) = 6.98, p <.001, accounting for 32.7% of the
variability in perceived stroke risk among South Asians. Additionally, major
intersectional discrimination significantly predicted perceived stroke risk, F(1, 115) =
7.93, p <.001, accounting for 35.6% of the variability in perceived stroke risk among
South Asians. This dissertation discussed the implications of these findings for future
health disparities research, specifically among South Asian Americans and the healthcare
system, including psychologists.