Exploring Intersections between Trauma and Discrimination in Youth of Color Seeking Mental Health Services

Lauren Alvis; Camisha Kibble; Robyn Douglas; Christopher Giang; Tamara Johns; Ben Oosterhoff; Julie B Kaplow

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2024.10.018

Exploring Intersections between Trauma and Discrimination in Youth of Color Seeking Mental Health Services

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Jan 17:S0890-8567(25)00017-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.10.018. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lauren Alvis¹, Camisha Kibble², Robyn Douglas³, Christopher Giang⁴, Tamara Johns⁵, Ben Oosterhoff⁵, Julie B Kaplow⁶

Affiliations

¹ Trauma and Grief Center at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Houston, TX. Electronic address: lalvis@mmhpi.org.
² University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX.
³ Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
⁴ University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI.
⁵ Trauma and Grief Center at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Houston, TX.
⁶ Trauma and Grief Center at Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Houston, TX; Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA.

PMID: 39842632
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2024.10.018

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the intersection between trauma and discrimination among Black and Latino/a/x youth seeking treatment. Specifically, we examine: 1) the frequency of various everyday discrimination experiences, averaged across the sample and disaggregated by demographic characteristics; 2) unique associations between exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and everyday discrimination experiences; and 3) unique associations between everyday discrimination experiences and specific posttraumatic stress symptoms while accounting for demographic characteristics and PTEs.

Method: Participants were 573 Black (54.8%) and non-Black Latino/a/x youth who were treatment-seeking and had exposure at least one traumatic event (10-18 years, 55.8% female, 25.7% first- or second-generation immigrant).

Results: Two-thirds of trauma-exposed youth reported having experienced discrimination, with the most common experience being treated as not smart (46%), followed by being treated with less courtesy or respect (40%). Rates of discrimination varied by intersecting demographic characteristics in nuanced ways. Among 11 PTEs, exposure to a natural disaster, community violence, and witnessing community violence were each positively associated with overall everyday discrimination scores and specific discriminatory encounters. Everyday discrimination experiences were positively associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms after accounting for demographic characteristics and exposure to PTEs.

Conclusion: Findings provide important context for understanding experiences of everyday discrimination in Black and Latino/a/x youth seeking mental health services for trauma. Findings further highlight variability in the types of discrimination youth with different intersecting identities experience, the high rates of co-occurrence between discrimination and other traumatic events, and unique associations between specific discrimination experiences and posttraumatic stress reactions.

Keywords: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; adolescent; discrimination; trauma; youth of color.