Caregiver-perceived racial discrimination is associated with diverse mental health outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 7–12 years

Abstract

Background Racial discrimination is acknowledged as a central social determinant of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter referred to as Aboriginal) health, although quantitative empirical literature on the impacts of racism on Aboriginal children remains sparse. We use a novel, longitudinal dataset to explore the relationship between caregiver-perceived racism exposure and a range of mental health and related behavioural and physiological outcomes in childhood. Method The study cohort comprised 1759 Aboriginal children aged 4–12 years from waves 2–8 (2009–2015) of the Footprints in Time: The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) dataset. We examined exposure to caregiver-perceived racism between 4 and 11 years as a predictor for mental health and related outcomes at ages 7–12 and substance use at 10–12 years. Unadjusted models and models adjusted for remoteness, community-level and family-level socio-economic status, child age and gender were used in analysis. Multilevel logistic regression was used in all analysis. Results In fully adjusted models, perceived exposure to racism at ages 4–11 was associated with twice the risk of negative mental health (95% CI: 1.3–3.0), sleep difficulties (95% CI: 1.4–3.0), and behaviour issues at school (95% CI: 1.2–2.9), 1.7 times the risk of obesity (95% CI: 1.1–2.5), and nearly 7 times the risk of trying cigarettes (95% CI: 1.1–43.9). Increased risks were also found for being underweight and trying alcohol though estimates did not reach statistical significance. There was no evidence that racism was associated with poorer general health. Conclusion Exposure to racial discrimination in Aboriginal children increased the risk for a spectrum of interrelated psychological, behavioural and physiological factors linked to negative mental health. Our results further affirm the importance of interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of racial discrimination for the benefits of population health and health inequalities. The services and institutions which aim to support the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal children should also support interventions to reduce racism and implement accountable policies which prioritise this goal. Supplementary information Supplementary information accompanies this paper at (10.1186/s12939-019-1045-8).

Racial discrimination and allostatic load among First Nations Australians: a nationally representative cross-sectional study

“…In Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter referred to as 'Aboriginal') populations, where the pervasiveness of racial discrimination is well documented across legal, healthcare, educational and employment settings, [8][9][10] assessing the link between the psychosocial stressor of racism and physical health remains a challenge. To date, indicators of physical health most commonly comprise self-or carer-rated general health status, with few significant associations found [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Self-reported general health can be a misleading indicator of physical health, particularly for socially disadvantaged populations who may underreport or understate adverse health outcomes [17,18].…”

Impact of racism and discrimination on the physical and mental health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Australia: a protocol for a scoping review

“…Similar to the international evidence, primary studies performed in Australia have found positive associations between racism and negative mental health effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders [26][27][28]. The negative association with physical health has also been documented [16,29]. However, in Australia, there is scarce of systematic overview on the impact of racism and discrimination on physical and mental health outcomes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.…”

“…Moreover, a study from the state of Victoria found that 17% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults had experienced at least one episode of racism in the last year compared with 4.5% of their nonindigenous counterparts [15]. A study conducted among young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children showed a high prevalence of perceived racism from either adults or peers [16].…”

Impact of Racism and Discrimination on The Physical and Mental Health Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Living in Australia: A Protocol For A Scoping Review

“…Similarly to the international evidence, primary studies performed in Australia have found positive associations between racism and negative mental health effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders [27][28][29]. The negative association with physical health has also been documented [17,30].…”

“…Moreover, a study from the state of Victoria found that 17% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults had experienced at least one episode of racism in the last year compared with 4.5% of their non-Indigenous counterparts [16]. A study conducted among young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children showed a high prevalence of perceived racism from either adults or peers [17].…”