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Abstract Ethnic–racial discrimination, the differential treatment of individuals based on ethnic or racial group membership, predicts poor mental health outcomes such as anxiety. This is supported by long-standing theories on the social determinants of health and minority stress. However, these theories are rarely expanded to neurobiological sciences, limiting our understanding of mechanisms underlying observed associations. One potential neurobiological pathway between ethnic–racial discrimination exposure and anxiety is that ongoing exposure to racially charged encounters presents imminent threats that may modify stress-sensitive neurocircuitry, like the amygdala. The current study evaluated whether amygdala volume mediated associations between ethnic–racial discrimination exposure and anxiety symptoms in Latina girls, a group exhibiting heightened levels of untreated anxiety and disproportionately subjected to ethnic–racial discrimination. Thirty predominantly Mexican-identifying Latina girls residing in Southern California (MAge = 9.76,SD = 1.11 years) completed a T1-weighted structural MRI scan. Using thePerceptions of Racism in Children and Youth, participants self-reported the prevalence and severity of various discriminatory experiences. Participants also self-reported their anxiety symptoms via theScreen for Child Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders.Controlling for total intracranial volume and annual household income, an indirect effect of ethnic–racial discrimination on anxiety symptoms via left amygdala volume was observed,β = −0.28,SE = 0.17, BC 95% CI [−0.690, −0.017]. The current findings suggest that the left amygdala is sensitive to racialized threats in childhood and that stress-related alterations may, in part, contribute to elevated anxiety in Latina girls. Our data elucidate a potential mechanism by which this form of sociocultural stress can adversely impact mental health, particularly in the transition from middle childhood to early adolescence, a period marked by a host of interlinked neurophysiological and social changes.
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Understanding the psychological effects of political news engagement among Latinos: Vicarious discrimination and anxiety during the 2020 election
Engagement with political news is vital for promoting civic participation and political knowledge but can negatively affect individuals’ mental health, including provoking anxiety. We examine how exposure to racial discrimination in news coverage (i.e., vicarious discrimination) may contribute to these negative effects among Latinos during the 2020 U.S. election. One hundred and eight Latinos completed daily measurements of political news engagement, vicarious discrimination, and anxiety-related symptoms for 14 days surrounding the election. Using disaggregated multilevel mediation models, we found that, on days when people engaged more with political news, they reported higher anxiety-related symptoms than on days when they engaged less (within-person relationship), but people who engaged more with political news on average did not report higher anxiety-related symptoms relative to those who engaged less with political news on average (between-person relationship). Additionally, the within-person relationship was mediated by experiences of vicarious discrimination, suggesting engaging with political news serves as an important source of exposure to racial discrimination experienced by others.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2234319
- PAR ID:
- 10677232
- Publisher / Repository:
- Sage
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Group Processes & Intergroup Relations
- Volume:
- 29
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1368-4302
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 116 to 134
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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null (Ed.)The 2020 US Presidential election was historic in that it featured the first woman of color, Kamala Harris, on a major-party ticket. Although Harris identifies as Black, her racial identity was widely scrutinized throughout the election, due to her mixed-race ancestry. Moreover, media coverage of Harris's racial identity appeared to vary based on that news outlet's political leaning and sometimes had prejudicial undertones. The current research investigated racial categorization of Harris and the role that political orientation and anti-Black prejudice might play in shaping these categorizations. Studies 1 and 2 tested the possibility that conservatives and liberals might mentally represent Harris differently, which we hypothesized would lead the two groups to differ in how they categorized her race. Contrary to our prediction, conservatives, and liberals mentally represented Harris similarly. Also surprising were the explicit racial categorization data. Conservatives labeled Harris as White more than liberals, who tended to categorize Harris as multiracial. This pattern was explained by anti-Black prejudice. Study 3 examined a potential political motivation that might explain this finding. We found that conservatives, more than liberals, judge having a non-White candidate on a Democratic ballot as an asset, which may lead conservatives to deny non-White candidates these identities.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302251355877
