Racism has a certain impact that plays a part in both health and mental health inequalities. This can be especially true of those of the most disadvantaged populations, including indigenous peoples.
Indigenous Communities Face Prevalent Racism
Racism aimed at Indigenous peoples is a global problem. According to a study, Native Americans in the United States are subjected to both bigotry and abuse.
These activities take place in a number of contexts and realms. Healthcare, jobs, and the criminal justice system are among them. Racism can take many types, such as ethnic slurs, abuse, exclusion, and so on.
Racism also has an impact on criminal activities. One national survey in the UK suggests that an estimated 282 000 UK crimes were racially motivated in 1999.
The mental health consequences of previous traumas are still something that these groups have to struggle with. Racist practices in the US have caused major psychological damage to native Americans and Alaskan natives. These initiatives were targeted at robbing people of their ethnic identities and heritage. For example, children have also been separated from their homes as part of forced assimilation programs. They have been separated from their parents for months or even years at a time. So, they were unable to speak their own languages. They were also prohibited from engaging in their spiritual and cultural activities. Such activities have caused major trauma. It caused harm to families, infants, and whole communities.
The combined consequences of these activities may have a profound influence on one’s physical, mental, and psychological well-being. In the United States, Native Americans face challenges. These include:
- Higher mortality rates
- Higher rates of substance and drug use, suicide, and sexual assault
- Poor health
- Lack of quality health care
However, these issues don’t limit to the United States. Indigenous people in counties all around the world also undergo varying types and degrees of racism. One poll of Aboriginal people in Victoria, Australia, showed that 92% of those surveyed had encountered racism in the previous year. Many who also witnessed the most racism have also recorded the highest rate of psychiatric depression.
Impact Of Racism On The Health and Health-care
Racism can lead to various mental and physical health conditions. Here are some of them:
1. Mental Health Impact of Racism
According to the most recent census results, 1.3 percent of the population of the United States claims to be Native American or Alaskan Native. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 19% of these people have had a mental disorder in the previous year.
Data shows that people who experience discrimination are at higher risk of having different mental health problems. These include post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), anxiety, and depression.
Some research indicates that exposure to prejudice can have especially adverse consequences during critical childhood developmental windows.
2. Substance and Alcohol Use Disorders
Native Americans and Alaskan Natives in the United States are slightly more likely than other races to indicate having encountered alcohol or drug use disorder symptoms in the previous year.
Many factors can play a role in American Indians’ higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse. Racism, sexism, and historical trauma, according to studies, both play a major role.
Participants in a small survey of tribal members in Montana state cited racism as a contributing factor to the onset of drug dependence and a potential obstacle to rehabilitation. Other risk factors that play a part in high substance use rates include:
- Trauma exposure
- Poverty
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
The intertwined impacts of racial trauma and poverty were cited by some research participants as key factors underlying drug and alcohol consumption.
3. Suicidal Impact of Racism
Statistics suggest that indigenous populations around the world are mostly affected by suicide at much higher rates than the non-Indigenous population. In the United States, the Indian Health Service estimates that the suicide rate for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives is 1.6 times higher than for all other races in the United States.
According to a 2011 survey by Statistics Canada, Indigenous people in Canada have a suicide rate three times higher than non-Indigenous Canadians. Young people aged 15 and 24 years old, as well as women, were found to be especially vulnerable.
What are some reasons for the heightened risk of suicide posed by indigenous peoples? Present racism, as well as the consequences of cumulative grief and past trauma, may all play a role in leading to elevated rates of suicide among aboriginal peoples.
Historical trauma refers to longitudinal neurological consequences that impact individuals over decades due to severe collective trauma.
4. Violent Impact of Racism
Domestic abuse tends to be more common in Aboriginal cultures, according to estimates. Native Alaskan and American women have the highest incidence of:
- Sexual assault
- Intimate partner violence
The American Indian Affairs Association estimates that women are the most affected by abuse. Nearly 85 percent of Indian and Alaska Native women report having witnessed abuse in their lifetime.
5. Access to Services
In minorities, racism may have an effect on the affordability and accessibility to mental health care. According to some studies, people are more likely to use ethnically matched services. It’s especially prevalent in communities that have traditionally been oppressed by non-Indigenous people.
Indigenous people also lack access to health care as well. Healthcare coverage is also affected by measures that ignore the interests of minorities. Many causes often seriously restrict access to health care. These include:
- Insufficient insurance policy
- There aren’t enough hospitals that serve Indigenous peoples.
Tribal reserves may provide health services. Outside of these regions, though, many Indigenous people live.
6. Racism in Healthcare
In a study exploring the experience of the Canadian healthcare system, aboriginal people reported widespread racism and discrimination. It will have an effect on both access to treatment and health outcomes. About half of non-Indigenous health professionals confirmed having seen racial or offensive acts against Indigenous patients. Almost 30% of Indigenous people reported hearing racial remarks on a daily basis.
Discrimination of this type often expresses itself in a number of ways. But this includes the followings:
- Poor pain management
- Assuming substance or drug use
- Poor communication
- a lack of attention to societal standards
- Service denial
- Minimization of problems
The Bottom Line
There is an abundance of research demonstrating the negative impact of racism on the well-being of the nation. The persistence of racism shows that certain problems need increased action aimed at removing discrimination.
Because of the prevalence and effect of racism, it is important to discuss it for treatment.
