Black adolescents may be at a higher risk of both depression and anxiety because of racial discrimination, according to a new study.
Published by JAMA Network Open, the study was conducted by researchers from the University of Georgia to analyze the long-term effects of racism and provide ways to help Black adolescents with experiences with racism.
Drawing from information from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, lead author Assaf Oshri and his colleagues examined the data of over 1,500 participants. Over the course of three years, the study’s leaders focused on the activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain considered to help with processing emotions, using functional MRIs to analyze responses.
Amygdala response can protect against the negative effects of feeling racially marginalized, but may have an emotional health price among Black youth, this study’s findings suggest. https://t.co/LDJpMyx359
— JAMA Network Open (@JAMANetworkOpen) June 12, 2024
Self-assessments were held for each participant; according to the researchers, signs of internalizing, such as feeling anxiety or depression, as well as externalizing and experiencing anger, were found.
Per Oshri’s final conclusion, a connection was made between the adolescents who displayed symptoms of internalizing and the amygdala as it tended to shut down when exposed to any negative stimulants.
According to the researchers, by doing so, it signaled that Black adolescents tended to shut down to protect themselves when experiencing racism. It may also indicate a form of coping that can eventually lead to the development of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
“It [the study] not only validates the often-necessary biological protective processes that Black youth may use to combat the stress of racism but the toll this can have on mind-body wellness,” said co-author Sierra Carter per the press release. “This study can provide a lens for clinicians and other providers to consider the benefits in substantially investing in safe and validating communal spaces for Black youth to express their emotions related to racism that are divested from systems of continuous oppression.”
The latest study comes months after another group of researchers previously reported that online racism specifically can cause PTSD symptoms amongst Black adolescents.
Published in JAMA Psychiatry, the study looked at data collected from 525 Black children and teens ranging from the ages of 11 to 19. In their report, they found that those who reported feelings of PTSD also reported experiencing online racism. Symptoms included intrusive thoughts, heightened levels of distress and isolation as well as feelings of having to be on guard.
To combat symptoms of PTSD, the researchers recommended increased surveillance on online platforms, the creation of safe space for Black adolescents online as well as better approaches to mental health services.
