From the recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia to the racial slurs that were scribbled outside black students’ doors at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s preparatory school, it is clear that the United States is not a post-racial society as some pundits in the media have argued. Researchers have found that racism in all forms takes its toll on people of color. Racism, both in blatant, overt forms as well as subtler forms such as microaggressions, can have a detrimental impact on the health and overall well-being of targeted individuals.
Overt racial discrimination and health
There’s a lot evidence to suggest that overt racism and discrimination lead to worse health outcomes for people of color. Researchers at Columbia University have found that the experience of racism can result in traumatic stress. This stress is linked to negative mental health outcomes, such as depression, anger, physical reactions, avoidance, intrusion, hypervigilance, and low self-esteem.
Doctors and psychologists tell us that discrimination contributes to poor health, both directly and indirectly. The presence of high levels of stress hormones in the bloodstream for long periods of time can lead to wear-and-tear on the body. In addition, stress caused by racism has been linked to heart disease in African-American populations. Public health researchers surveyed a sample of 3,105 adults across three racial groups (African-Americans, Latinos and whites) and found a positive correlation between hypervigilance caused by race-based stress and a higher incidence of heart disease amongst African-Americans.
[For more on this story by Gina Torino, go to https://www.centerforhealthjou...ns-lead-worse-health]
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