Racial Discrimination: A Continuum of Violence Exposure for Children of Color

Abstract

This article reviews and examines findings on the impact of racial discrimination on the development and functioning of children of color in the US. Based on current definitions of violence and child maltreatment, exposure to racial discrimination should be considered as a form of violence that can significantly impact child outcomes and limit the ability of parents and communities to provide support that promotes resiliency and optimal child development. In this article, a conceptual model of the effects of racial discrimination in children of color is presented. The model posits that exposure to racial discrimination may be a chronic source of trauma in the lives of many children of color that negatively influences mental and physical outcomes as well as parent and community support and functioning. Concurrent exposure to other forms of violence, including domestic, interpersonal and/or community violence, may exacerbate these effects. The impact of a potential continuum of violence exposure for children of color in the US and the need for future research and theoretical models on children's exposure to violence that attend to the impact of racial discrimination on child outcomes are discussed.

Exploring relationships between racism, housing and child illness in remote indigenous communities

“…Several studies have identified associations between parental experience of racism and poor child mental health outcomes 32–34. Child exposure to racism has been associated with poor physiological functioning,7 and indicators of cardiovascular and metabolic disease 5. Links between racism and physical ill-health have consistently been established in adults 2 4 6…”

“…For children and young people, associations are reported between racism and poor mental health as well as behavioural difficulties and indicators of metabolic and cardiovascular disease 5 7…”

“…The few studies that have explicitly explored the impact of racism on parenting have identified links between racism and reduced maternal support available to children, limited parental ability to provide a warm and caring environment, reduced quality of maternal–child relationship, and high levels of uninvolved parenting 5 7. Parenthood is considered a time of particular vulnerability to racism due to heightened awareness of racism as an impediment to achieving life goals and of the desire to protect children from negative life experiences 7…”

Experiences of Discrimination and Its Effect on Life Satisfaction: Understanding Differences within Subgroups of Foreign Spouses from Multicultural Families in Korea

“…The consequence of discriminatory actions is also known to differ by its type. Discrimination at the structural level is invoked as the primary cause of racial/ethnic gaps in income, employment, housing, and such (Jones, 2000), while discrimination at the personal level has been associated with various adverse psychological, behavioral, and health outcome for individuals of all ages (Sanders-Phillips, 2009;Finch & Vega, 2003;Brody et al, 2006). As ethnic minorities are perpetually exposed to discriminatory experiences in their daily life, discriminations based on one's race or ethnicity undoubtedly function as a significant risk factor (Prelow, Mosher, & Bowman, 2006) and a chronic stressor (Harrell, 2000), which over time can lead to deteriorated health and mental health, affecting all aspects of their life (Selye, 1956, as quoted in Prelow et al, 2006.…”

Modeling posttraumatic stress disorder among victimized women on probation and parole : examining the impact of childhood victimization.

“…Hardy (2013) and others (Pieterse, Carter, Evans, & Walter, 2010;Sanders-Phillips, 2009) refer to experiences of discrimination as a "traumatic form of interpersonal violence," leading to trauma-related symptomology. Other scholars have discussed the systemic racism that people of color experience as traumatic events, in that they lead to feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and fearing for one's safety and survival (Ponds, 2013).…”