Racial traumais similar to PTSD and can lead to a PTSD diagnosis.
This inspired a critical and overdue public discourse about the relationship between race and health.
However, in studies,racial health disparitiesare still evident even after adjustment for income and education.
Maksym Panchuk / EyeEm / Getty Images
Can Racism Be Measured?
If you are Black, your Blackness is inescapable and is a part of your daily life.
Living with this emotional burden manifests itself as wear and tear and premature aging of the body.
Of course, this data cannot fully convey the lived experience of being the object of discrimination.
It merely validates and acknowledges those experiences and the negative effects of racism as some can be measured.
They describe how it feels to live without the luxurious assumption that they will make it home safely.
They detail innumerable slights and offenses and the word “exhaustion” is unavoidable.
They also share of having to shatter their childrens innocence with disturbing realities for the sake of their safety.
These effects includehypervigilanceof ones surroundings and an impaired ability to form healthy, meaningful bonds with others.
The Effects of Internalized Racism
Particularly debilitating is the internalization of racism by Black people themselves.
Black people are consumers of the same media that non-minorities consume.
Media content can be rife with the negative imagery that perpetuates the stereotype of the inferiority of Black people.
Internalized racism can erode a Black persons perception of themselves.
It could contribute to the development of shame, guilt, compromisedself-esteem, and depressive symptoms.
in which the heroic (i.e., good) characters were all White.
This can present as self-destructive behaviors such as problematic use of alcohol and poor dietary choices.
The conversation about race and health isn’t complete without including mention of racism and health.
Continuing to carry out measurable research and having open conversations is crucial for progress and forward movement.
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