Though all discrimination is harmful, an examination of the effects of racism — the most commonly studied and cited form of discrimination — reveals implications for the mental and physical health of individuals and communities that can be applied to other types of discrimination.
Racism, therefore, is not just a civil rights issue, but also a public health concern. As key figures in addressing such consequences, health care professionals, such as Family Nurse Practitioners , must recognize the health implications involved and know the steps they can take to help stop discrimination and mitigate its negative outcomes.
There are a number of physical and mental health effects related to discrimination, including increased stress, depression, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and mortality. Russell Sage Foundation; Locked out: felon disenfranchisement and American democracy. Oxford University Press; Racial residential segregation: a fundamental cause of racial disparities in health. Public Health Rep. The effect of childhood segregation on minority academic performance at selective colleges.
Ethnic and Racial Studies. Why segregation matters: poverty and educational inequality. Adverse effects of U. Am J Public Health. The growth of incarceration in the United States: Exploring causes and consequences. Marked: race, crime, and finding work in an era of mass incarceration. University of Chicago Press; Reported racial discrimination, trust in physicians, and medication adherence among inner-city African Americans with hypertension.
Discrimination and unfair treatment: relationship to cardiovascular reactivity among African American and European American women. Health Psychol. A nationwide study of discrimination and chronic health conditions among Asian Americans. Racial discrimination and health-promoting vs damaging behaviors among African-American adults. J Health Psychol. Perceived medical discrimination and cancer screening behaviors of racial and ethnic minority adults.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. The effects of perceived discrimination on diabetes management. J Health Care Poor and Underserved. Do family and friendship networks protect against the influence of discrimination on mental health and HIV risk among Asian and Pacific Islander gay men? Am J of Public Health. Many studies have suggested that talking about racist experiences, instead of bottling them up, can help a person process feelings of stress, anger, and frustration.
Studies into racism and its effects on mental health have found that BIPOC who felt strongly about their racial identity were less likely to be distressed by racism and less likely to be physically or mentally affected by it. Therefore, having a well-developed sense of ethnic or racial identity may help blunt or buffer the effects of racism.
However, research must continue in this area, as findings are still limited. Having a network of people to talk to for support, advice, and comfort can help people cope with racial discrimination.
It can encourage a sense of security and identity and reduce negative thoughts and feelings. Some studies have also found that having a strong support network may even combat depression.
According to the American Psychological Association , socioeconomic status can directly affect both physical and mental health. Researchers have linked low socioeconomic status and a lack of economic development to poor health and a shorter life expectancy. According to a analysis of 1.
People with low socioeconomic status are also more likely to have avoidable medical procedures and hospitalizations, as well as conditions that go untreated. Reduced access to housing, employment, and mortgage lending due to low socioeconomic status can adversely affect mental health and increase feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety. Although Hispanic and African American people seem to have a lower risk of mental health conditions than those in other racial or ethnic groups, those who do develop such conditions tend to have more persistent psychological issues.
However, it is worth noting that this perceived lower risk may be due to racial inequities in the healthcare system. Also, although there is an association between socioeconomic status and race, there is not perfect correspondence between race and low socioeconomic status. Indeed, even among BIPOC of middle and upper socioeconomic status, the effects of racism on mental and physical health persist.
Research suggests that the stress that develops due to experiencing or witnessing racism can have long lasting effects, increasing the risk of chronic disease and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression in both children and adults. Poor treatment based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and other factors can occur through interpersonal insults as well as through more insidious routes.
Emerging research using neuroimaging tools is helping to isolate the brain mechanisms at play in these scenarios. The researchers then had the women listen to the recordings while their brains were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The parts of the brain that responded as the women listened were the same as those that regulate emotions and stress.
More recently, Mays has collaborated on a study showing that experiencing significant amounts of discrimination over time can lead to changes in the way the brain processes information, disrupting, for example, the regions involved in planning and decision-making.
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