Vicarious Racism: What is it? And can it really impact mental health?
Ever heard the term “vicarious racism” and wondered what people were talking about? We’ve broken it down & explained its impact on mental health below.
What is Vicarious Racism?
Nia Heard-Garris, a Doctor and Clinical Scholar at the University of Michigan, explains
“Vicarious racism traditionally refers to experiencing racial discrimination indirectly through close contacts, such as family members and peers. I strongly believe, however, that this definition is not inclusive enough. Vicarious racism can be experienced by those who are not directly involved with the event, but who identify with the victims of racism generally on the basis of race. Age and gender could also be factors.”
A lot of people don’t understand the impact of vicarious racism on our community’s mental health. How can it really impact someone just from hearing about it?
One of the easiest ways to understand it is to think about second-hand smoke. Sure, the person smoking (or in this case directly experiencing the racism) is probably taking on the most harm. However, the incident does in fact impact those around them. The experience is different, but their wellbeing is at risk.
How does it impact mental health?
We know that trauma has incredibly serious impacts on our mental health and racial trauma is no different. Long-term effects can include negative impacts on mental & physical health.
Furthermore, children tend to be impacted the most. A researcher studied over 1k articles on the relationship between racism & children’s wellbeing to better understand the impact and found that
“this secondhand exposure may be particularly problematic for mental and behavioral health in childhood and adolescence.”
Can you give me an example?
Absolutely! Our friends at VeryWellMind outlined it best:
The Impact of George Floyd's Murder on BIPOC Communities
After footage of the May 25, 2020 police killing of unarmed Black man George Floyd was widely circulated in the news, reports of poorer mental health spiked.
@sarashakeel
Anxiety and depression in the Black, Asian, and Native American communities rose. Events such as George Floyd's murder get a great deal of attention, but it is also important to recognize that people have been paying attention to these issues for a long time. Every time a related event takes place, it brings feelings of trauma to the surface.
The Impact on African Americans
Following Floyd's murder, anxiety and depression within the Black community rose dramatically, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.
In the week after the video of Floyd’s killing became public, the percentage of African Americans with clinical signs of anxiety or depression rose from 36% to 41%, which represents an additional 1.4 million people with these symptoms.
Witnessing this traumatic event may have led African Americans to relive their own experiences of racial trauma and revived concerns about the system of policing in the United States.
The Impact on Asian Americans
Asian Americans also had more anxiety and depression symptoms in the period after Floyd’s killing. Signs of these mental health disorders jumped from 28% to 34% among this demographic, which represents an increase of approximately 800,000 people.4
Asian Americans may have been more distressed by Floyd’s killing and racism in general during this period because reports of anti-Asian hate crimes increased after the novel coronavirus spread in the U.S.
The Impact on Native Americans
Native Americans make up just 1.3% of the U.S. population,6 but they comprise a disproportionate percentage of Americans facing police violence.
Native Americans are killed by police at higher rates than any other racial group, including African Americans.
If you want to learn more, stay in the loop by following BIPOC activists, listening to podcasts and reading articles on racial justice, or attending community events and volunteering to help solve race-related issues.
