Racial Discrimination and Trauma Symptoms Among Black Adolescents and Their Caregivers
Bernard, D. L., & Pollock, M. L. (2024). Racial Discrimination and Trauma Symptoms Among Black Adolescent-Caregiver Dyads. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2024.2426119
Racial discrimination, defined as the unfair treatment of an individual or group based on their race, has been linked to trauma symptoms in youth and in adults. Recent work among Black caregivers has shown that their experiences of racial discrimination not only affect their trauma symptoms, but also the trauma symptoms of their youth. However, no study has examined how youth’s experiences of racial discrimination may affect their caregiver’s trauma symptoms. Therefore, the current study examined how caregiver and youth experiences of racial discrimination relates to their own and each other’s trauma symptoms.
The study examined 221 pairs of youth and caregivers, with 442 participants in total. Within this sample, the majority of youth identified as female (52%) and caregivers were predominantly mothers (82%). The average age for the youth was14.5 years old, and the caregivers averaged around 41.5 years old. The average annual income for the families of the pairs was $35k-$50k. Caregivers and youth reported on the frequency of racial discrimination experiences and trauma symptoms. To test the effects of racial discrimination on trauma symptoms, actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) were used. These models tested the relationship between one’s own (e.g., caregiver) racial discrimination experiences and their own (e.g., caregiver) trauma symptoms (actor effects) and the relationship between one’s own (e.g., caregiver) experiences of racial discrimination and their partner’s (e.g., youth) trauma symptoms (partner effects).
The study’s findings showed that youth’s and caregivers’ own experiences of racial discrimination were associated with one’s own trauma symptoms. Further, results showed that youth’s and caregiver’s experiences of racial discrimination were related to each other’s trauma symptoms. Interestingly, findings also showed that the strength of the relationship between caregiver’s own experiences of racial discrimination and trauma symptoms was stronger when their youth reported higher frequencies of racial discrimination.
These findings highlight the strong effect that racial discrimination can have on an individual, regardless of age. Further, findings show the ways that racial discrimination can impact families, even beyond the individual who experiences it. Thus, awareness of this relationship between racial discrimination and trauma symptoms is vital as this allows a family or parent to have a more active role in facilitating mental health support or intervention.