Mental Health Effects of Racism on Indigenous Communities

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsIndigenous Communities Face Prevalent RacismMental Health Effects of RacismTreatment IssuesHow Indigenous Communities CopeIndigenous Mental Health ResourcesSummaryNext in The Other Side of Stigma GuideHow Do Other Countries Deal With Mental Health?

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Table of Contents

Indigenous Communities Face Prevalent Racism

Mental Health Effects of Racism

Treatment Issues

How Indigenous Communities Cope

Indigenous Mental Health Resources

Summary

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Racism is increasingly recognized as a factor that plays a role in mental health as well as disparities in mental health care. This can be particularly true among many of the most marginalized groups, including Indigenous communities.

Indigenous communities can be found in countries throughout the world and make up an estimated 5% of the world’s total population. While these communities are unique and differ from one another in a variety of ways, they do have a shared history of trauma, forced migration, discrimination, and segregation that have had lasting effects on generations ofIndigenous peoples.

Racism is a significant factor contributing to the onset of mental health conditions, but it also plays a major role in increasing disparities that contribute to worsening mental health.

In November 2020, the American Medical Association formally recognized racism as a public health threat.

Racism directed toward Indigenous people is a common problem throughout the world. In the United States, research suggests that both discrimination and harassment are widely experienced among Native Americans.

These experiences occur in multiple domains and locations including in health care, education, and the criminal justice system. Racism can come in a variety of forms including racial slurs, harassment, exclusion, andmicroaggressions.

The mental health effects of past traumas are also something that these communities continue to grapple with. Racist policies in the United States subjected Native Americans and Alaskan Natives to significant psychological trauma. Such policies were aimed at stripping people of their cultural identity and heritage.

For example, children were often removed from their families as part of forced assimilation programs, separated from their parents, siblings, and extended families for months or even years at a time.

They were unable to speak their own languages and were barred from participating in their spiritual and cultural traditions. Such practices created massivecollectiveand intergenerational trauma, damaging families, their children, and entire communities.

It is important to recognize that racism is not something confined to the past. The U.S. Department of Justice has reported that Native American and Alaskan Natives are the victims of more violent crime than any other racial group in the U.S.

The cumulative effects of these experiences can take a tremendous toll on physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. In the U.S., Native Americans face issues including poorer health, lack of quality health care, higher mortality rates, and higher rates of suicide, drug and alcohol use, and sexual violence.

Such issues are not confined to the U.S., however. Indigenous people live in counties all over the world and often experience various forms and degrees of racism. One survey of Aboriginal people in Victoria, Australia found that 92% of those surveyed had experienced racism during the previous year. Those who experienced the most racism also reported the highest levels of psychological distress.

Such reports suggest that finding ways to reduce racism can play an important role in improving the mental health of people who are part of Indigenous communities.

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According to the most recent census data, 1.3% of the U.S. population identifies as Native American or Alaskan Native. Of these individuals, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that 19% have experienced a mental illness during the past year.

Evidence suggests that people who experience racism are at a greater risk of developing a variety of mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, andpost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Some evidence suggests that exposure to racism can have particularly harmful effects when it occurs during important developmental windows in childhood.

One study found that Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander children who experienced direct racial discrimination during early childhood had an increased risk for negative mental and physical health outcomes during middle childhood compared to kids who had not experienced such racism.

Substance and Alcohol Use Disorders

In the U.S., Native Americans and Alaskan Natives are significantly more likely to report having experienced the symptoms of an alcohol orsubstance use disorderin the past year than other races.

While a number of variables may contribute to the higher substance and alcohol use rates among American Indian people, research has suggested that factors such as racism, discrimination, and historical trauma play a significant role.

Participants in one small study of tribal members in the state of Montana cited racism as a contributing factor to the onset of substance use as well as a major barrier to recovery. Other risk factors that are known to play a part in high substance use rates include trauma exposure, poverty, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some participants in the study cited the intertwined effects of racial trauma and poverty as key factors driving substance and alcohol use. “People can’t understand…there’s intergenerational trauma, and then this need to belong, with such a high rate of poverty, a high rate of unemployment—they say it’s like 80% on the reservation,” one participant explained.

Suicide

Historical trauma refers to the cumulative psychological effects that affect people across generations due to a significant collective trauma.

Research suggests that up to a third of Indigenous adults report having daily thoughts related to this form of trauma, leading to serious negative emotional effects.Historical trauma has been linked to symptoms such assurvivor’s guilt, depression, poorself-esteem, increased fear, and self-destructive behavior.

Violence

Statistics also suggest that Indigenous communities face higher rates of domestic violence. Native American and Alaskan Native women experience among the highest races of intimate partner violence and sexual assault.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

In addition to the mental health effects of racism, race-based discrimination can also play a role in treatment.Systemic racismand relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures can influence a variety of factors related to mental health treatment.

Attitudes Toward Treatment

Because of the high prevalence of racism directed toward many Indigenous communities, people may be less likely to seek out treatment when they are facing mental health issues. For example, researchers have found that 1 in 6 Native Americans report seeking medical assistance because of anticipated discriminatory or unfair treatment.

Indigenous beliefs about mental illness can also play a role in the type of help people decide to seek. In many cases, people may be more likely to seek help from a traditional or spiritual healer who is part of their community rather than from a medical source.

Access to Services

In the U.S., there is a scarcity of mental health care providers who are of Native American or Alaskan Native background.

Lack of Culturally Trained Providers

Culturally competent mental health care is important in order to understand and address the needs of people who are part of Indigenous communities. The Indian Health Service reports that more than 50% of mental health programs and more than 80% of substance and alcohol abuse programs are tribally operated.

This helps to ensure that people are better able to access holistic, integrated, community-based services that incorporate cultural and traditional practices while addressing issues such as racism, historical trauma, and cultural healing.

However, this means that people living in areas outside of tribal communities may have a much more difficult time accessing such services and finding culturally sensitive care.

In order to address the effects of trauma and provide quality mental health services, it is essential for providers to consider the perspective and experiences of Indigenous peoples.

Racism in Healthcare

Such discrimination often takes various forms but included such things as:

Indigenous patients also report that health care workers are often resistant to even hearing about cultural health practices. Thirty percent of respondents reported that requests to follow cultural practices with regards to events such as birth and death were often denied.

Because of the serious detrimental effects of racism, finding ways to reduce discrimination and its impact are important to the health and well-being of Indigenous communities. There are a number of other factors that can be helpful in mitigating the mental health impacts of racism.

Indigenous worldviews can serve as a protective force. Many Indigenous cultures throughout the world hold worldviews that emphasize the importance of family, social bonds, and connectedness. Such connections and supportive relationships can play an important role in bolstering the mental health and well-being of Indigenous communities.

The American Psychiatric Association reports that protective factors that can reduce the risk of negative mental health effects and promote increased well-being include:

Some programs that offer mental health resources for Indigenous communities include:

There is an abundance of research demonstrating the profound negative effects that racism can have on Indigenous communities. The widespread prevalence of continued racism demonstrates that such issues need further intervention that seeks to end discrimination.

The mental health effects of racism on Indigenous communities points to the need for both policy and social changes that can help reduce stereotypes and discrimination while addressing the economic, health, and social inequalities that continue to reinforce the lingering impact of colonization and racial trauma.

16 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Paradies Y, Ben J, Denson N, Elias A, Priest N, Pieterse A, Gupta A, Kelaher M, Gee G.Racism as a determinant of health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2015;10(9):e0138511. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138511American Medical Association.New AMA policy recognizes racism as a public health threat.Findling MG, Casey LS, Fryberg SA, et al.Discrimination in the United States: experiences of Native Americans.Health Serv Res. 2019;54(S2):1431-1441. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13224Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD).Mental health impacts of racial discrimination in Victorian Aboriginal communities.U.S. Census Bureau.QuickFacts: United States.Cave L, Shepherd CCJ, Cooper MN, Zubrick SR.Racial discrimination and the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: Does the timing of first exposure matter?SSM Popul Health. 2019;9:100492. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100492Indian Health Service.Behavioral health.Skewes MC, Blume AW.Understanding the link between racial trauma and substance use among American Indians.Am Psychol. 2019;74(1):88-100. doi:10.1037/amp0000331Statistics Canada.Suicide among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit (2011-2016): Findings from the 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC).Whitbeck LB, Adams GW, Hoyt DR, Chen X.Conceptualizing and measuring historical trauma among American Indian people.Am J Community Psychol. 2004;33(3-4):119-30. doi: 10.1023/b:ajcp.0000027000.77357.31Brave Heart MY, Bird DM.Historical trauma and suicide. Indian Health Service.Indian Health Service.Behavioral health.Association on American Indian Affairs.Indigenous peoples and violence.American Psychiatric Association.Mental health disparities: American Indians and Alaska Natives.Duran E.Multicultural foundations of psychology and counseling series. Healing the soul wound: Counseling with American Indians and other native peoples.Teachers College Press; 2006.In plain sight: addressing indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in B.C. health care.

16 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Paradies Y, Ben J, Denson N, Elias A, Priest N, Pieterse A, Gupta A, Kelaher M, Gee G.Racism as a determinant of health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2015;10(9):e0138511. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138511American Medical Association.New AMA policy recognizes racism as a public health threat.Findling MG, Casey LS, Fryberg SA, et al.Discrimination in the United States: experiences of Native Americans.Health Serv Res. 2019;54(S2):1431-1441. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13224Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD).Mental health impacts of racial discrimination in Victorian Aboriginal communities.U.S. Census Bureau.QuickFacts: United States.Cave L, Shepherd CCJ, Cooper MN, Zubrick SR.Racial discrimination and the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: Does the timing of first exposure matter?SSM Popul Health. 2019;9:100492. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100492Indian Health Service.Behavioral health.Skewes MC, Blume AW.Understanding the link between racial trauma and substance use among American Indians.Am Psychol. 2019;74(1):88-100. doi:10.1037/amp0000331Statistics Canada.Suicide among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit (2011-2016): Findings from the 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC).Whitbeck LB, Adams GW, Hoyt DR, Chen X.Conceptualizing and measuring historical trauma among American Indian people.Am J Community Psychol. 2004;33(3-4):119-30. doi: 10.1023/b:ajcp.0000027000.77357.31Brave Heart MY, Bird DM.Historical trauma and suicide. Indian Health Service.Indian Health Service.Behavioral health.Association on American Indian Affairs.Indigenous peoples and violence.American Psychiatric Association.Mental health disparities: American Indians and Alaska Natives.Duran E.Multicultural foundations of psychology and counseling series. Healing the soul wound: Counseling with American Indians and other native peoples.Teachers College Press; 2006.In plain sight: addressing indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in B.C. health care.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Paradies Y, Ben J, Denson N, Elias A, Priest N, Pieterse A, Gupta A, Kelaher M, Gee G.Racism as a determinant of health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2015;10(9):e0138511. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138511American Medical Association.New AMA policy recognizes racism as a public health threat.Findling MG, Casey LS, Fryberg SA, et al.Discrimination in the United States: experiences of Native Americans.Health Serv Res. 2019;54(S2):1431-1441. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13224Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD).Mental health impacts of racial discrimination in Victorian Aboriginal communities.U.S. Census Bureau.QuickFacts: United States.Cave L, Shepherd CCJ, Cooper MN, Zubrick SR.Racial discrimination and the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: Does the timing of first exposure matter?SSM Popul Health. 2019;9:100492. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100492Indian Health Service.Behavioral health.Skewes MC, Blume AW.Understanding the link between racial trauma and substance use among American Indians.Am Psychol. 2019;74(1):88-100. doi:10.1037/amp0000331Statistics Canada.Suicide among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit (2011-2016): Findings from the 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC).Whitbeck LB, Adams GW, Hoyt DR, Chen X.Conceptualizing and measuring historical trauma among American Indian people.Am J Community Psychol. 2004;33(3-4):119-30. doi: 10.1023/b:ajcp.0000027000.77357.31Brave Heart MY, Bird DM.Historical trauma and suicide. Indian Health Service.Indian Health Service.Behavioral health.Association on American Indian Affairs.Indigenous peoples and violence.American Psychiatric Association.Mental health disparities: American Indians and Alaska Natives.Duran E.Multicultural foundations of psychology and counseling series. Healing the soul wound: Counseling with American Indians and other native peoples.Teachers College Press; 2006.In plain sight: addressing indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in B.C. health care.

Paradies Y, Ben J, Denson N, Elias A, Priest N, Pieterse A, Gupta A, Kelaher M, Gee G.Racism as a determinant of health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2015;10(9):e0138511. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138511

American Medical Association.New AMA policy recognizes racism as a public health threat.

Findling MG, Casey LS, Fryberg SA, et al.Discrimination in the United States: experiences of Native Americans.Health Serv Res. 2019;54(S2):1431-1441. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13224

Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD).Mental health impacts of racial discrimination in Victorian Aboriginal communities.

U.S. Census Bureau.QuickFacts: United States.

Cave L, Shepherd CCJ, Cooper MN, Zubrick SR.Racial discrimination and the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: Does the timing of first exposure matter?SSM Popul Health. 2019;9:100492. doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100492

Indian Health Service.Behavioral health.

Skewes MC, Blume AW.Understanding the link between racial trauma and substance use among American Indians.Am Psychol. 2019;74(1):88-100. doi:10.1037/amp0000331

Statistics Canada.Suicide among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit (2011-2016): Findings from the 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC).

Whitbeck LB, Adams GW, Hoyt DR, Chen X.Conceptualizing and measuring historical trauma among American Indian people.Am J Community Psychol. 2004;33(3-4):119-30. doi: 10.1023/b:ajcp.0000027000.77357.31

Brave Heart MY, Bird DM.Historical trauma and suicide. Indian Health Service.

Association on American Indian Affairs.Indigenous peoples and violence.

American Psychiatric Association.Mental health disparities: American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Duran E.Multicultural foundations of psychology and counseling series. Healing the soul wound: Counseling with American Indians and other native peoples.Teachers College Press; 2006.

In plain sight: addressing indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in B.C. health care.

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