African Americans who reported in a survey that they experienced more instances of racial discrimination had significantly higher odds of suffering generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) some time during their lives, according to Jose Soto, assistant professor, psychology.
Constant Race-Based Discrimination Can Lead to 'Racial Battle Fatigue' for African-Americans2/9/2014 Just as the constant pressure soldiers face on the battlefield can follow them home in the form of debilitating stress, African Americans who face chronic exposure to racial discrimination may have an increased likelihood of suffering a race-based battle fatigue, according to Penn State researchers.
African Americans who reported in a survey that they experienced more instances of racial discrimination had significantly higher odds of suffering generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) some time during their lives, according to Jose Soto, assistant professor, psychology.
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The first of its kind, the review showed 461 cases of links between racism and child and youth health outcomes.
Lead researcher Dr Naomi Priest at the McCaughey VicHealth Centre for Community Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne said the review demonstrated racism as an important factor influencing the health and wellbeing of children and youth. Published in the journal Child Development, the meta-analysis was conducted by researchers at Brown University, the University of Minnesota, Arizona State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Miami.
The researchers also found that young people who had positive feelings about their racial or ethnic identity had better social interactions and self-esteem, did well in school, and had fewer problems with drugs or alcohol. “Our previous work has demonstrated that persistent, subtle biases undermine the career advancement of promising female and racial minority scientists, as well as the diversity of the scientific workforce and the advancement of the scientific enterprise more broadly,” said Moss-Racusin. “To target these pernicious biases, we need carefully designed, systematically tested, and rigorously implemented interventions. Unfortunately, although many diversity interventions have been in place for decades, few have been thoroughly evaluated to determine whether they effectively reduce biases and increase diversity. We argue that researchers must take a scientific approach to the development, assessment, and implementation of diversity interventions.”
For young African-Americans, emotional support buffers biological toll of racial discrimination2/7/2014 The study also found that emotional support from parents and peers can protect African American youth from stress-related damage to their bodies and health. The study, by researchers at the University of Georgia and Emory University, appears in the journal Child Development.
African American 20-year-olds who had reported frequent discrimination during adolescence experienced high levels of allostatic load -- the biological wear and tear on the body due to exposure to repeated stress -- placing them at risk for chronic diseases as they grow older, the study found. |