Racism and Mental Health: The African American experience

This paper provides an overview of United States-based research on the ways in which racism can affect mental health. It describes changes in racial attitudes over time, the persistence of negative racial stereotypes and the ways in which negative beliefs were incorporated into societal policies and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ethnicity & health 2000-08, Vol.5 (3-4), p.243-268
Main Authors: Williams, D R, Williams-Morris, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans - psychology
Attitudes
Black American people
Discrimination
Equality
Ethnicity
Humans
Indexing in process
Interracial relationships
Marriage
Mental Health
Minority & ethnic groups
Parents & parenting
Plural Societies
Prejudice
Psychological Distress
Race
Racial discrimination
Racism
Self Concept
Social Class
Socioeconomic factors
Stereotypes
Stress
Stress, Psychological - etiology
Trends
United States
United States of America
USA
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Summary:This paper provides an overview of United States-based research on the ways in which racism can affect mental health. It describes changes in racial attitudes over time, the persistence of negative racial stereotypes and the ways in which negative beliefs were incorporated into societal policies and institutions. It then reviews the available scientific evidence that suggests that racism can adversely affect mental health status in at least three ways. First, racism in societal institutions can lead to truncated socioeconomic mobility, differential access to desirable resources, and poor living conditions that can adversely affect mental health. Second, experiences of discrimination can induce physiological and psychological reactions that can lead to adverse changes in mental health status. Third, in race-conscious societies, the acceptance of negative cultural stereotypes can lead to unfavorable self-evaluations that have deleterious effects on psychological well-being. Research directions are outlined.
ISSN:1355-7858
1465-3419
DOI:10.1080/713667453