Racism key factor in Latino teens behavioral problems

young latinos

saludifyBy Hope Gillette, Saludify

Non-Hispanic black and Hispanic adolescents are more likely to suffer the negative impacts of perceived racial discrimination compared to non-Hispanic whites, indicates a study from Laura M. Bogart of the Division of General Pediatrics and the Department of Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital in Massachusetts.

According to the research, when faced with perceived racial discrimination, non-Hispanic black students out of a pool of 5,000 fifth graders were more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior and externalizing when compared to non-Hispanic white students. Hispanic youth were also more adversely affected by perceived racial discrimination, having higher levels of negative coping and negative behavior than non-Hispanic whites, but fewer issues than non-Hispanic blacks.

“We examined the contribution of perceived racial/ethnic discrimination to disparities in problem behaviors among preadolescent Black, Latino, and White youths,” wrote study authors in their report. “In multivariate models, perceived discrimination was associated with greater problem behaviors among Black and Latino youths.”

The study results support existing evidence that discrimination can lead to a number of physical and mental health issues including depression, anxiety, low birth weight, aggression, and overall poor health, and researchers feel reducing racial discrimination among adolescents would make a significant impact on behavioral issues among that demographic.

“Interventions should be developed for black and Latino youths that acknowledge the existence of racial/ethnic discrimination, help them explore its implications, and foster greater community, school, and family social supports,” concluded the study.

Racial discrimination alone was not the only factor which influenced increased aggression and an inclination toward negative coping among Hispanic youth, however. In Bogart’s research, acculturation also played a role; Hispanic students who had been in the United States the longest fared the worse when it came to the impact of racial discrimination.

This finding suggested that more acculturated students had wider social circles, and therefore were more likely to be at risk for racial discrimination.

This article was first published in Saludify.

Hope Gillette is an award winning author and novelist. She has been active in the veterinary industry for over 10 years, and her experience extends from exotic animal care to equine sports massage.

[Photo by moodboardphotography]

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