A new study found that racism in the U.S. is getting worse, particularly among Black and Indigenous children.
With data provided by the U.S. National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), researchers at the University of Oklahoma (Tulsa) found that more children in minority groups experienced racism in 2020 compared to 2016, StudyFinds reports.
In 2016, 6.7 percent of parents reported that their minority children faced racism. That percentage jumped to roughly 9.3 percent in 2020.
10.8 percent of parents of Indigenous children reported discrimination in 2016 compared to 15.7 percent in 2020. Black children are also dealing with racism at higher rates in recent years, with an increase from 9.69 percent in 2018 to more than 15 percent in 2020.
Meanwhile, between 4.4 percent and 6.8 percent of Asian, Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Hispanic children reported experiencing discrimination during the same time period.
The study cites how exposure to racism as a child can have long-term consequences on mental health and well-being.
“Identifying ongoing trends in childhood experiences of racial discrimination can highlight potential policy and media changes that could mitigate the harm caused,” Amy Hendrix-Dicken, the study's co-author, said in a media release. “Our study underlines the need for clinicians to expand their anti-racism resources and also highlights the role culturally competent health care can play in lessening the effects of adverse childhood experiences with racism.
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