African American Children's Racial Discrimination Experiences and Mental Health.

Abstract

The current study examined how African American children's experiences of perceived personal racial discrimination and perceived vicarious racial discrimination were linked with depressive and anxiety symptoms, and whether there were significant sex differences in these relations. The sample included 73 African American children (48% male), ranging from 7 to 12 years of age (M = 8.82, SD = 2.06). Models specified children's personal discrimination and vicarious discrimination as predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Nested model comparisons were also used to examine whether associations varied as a function of children's sex. The current study hypothesized that both forms of discrimination would be associated with greater anxiety and depressive symptoms. Findings indicated that children's personal racial discrimination significantly predicted greater child anxiety symptoms for both boys and girls. No significant sex differences emerged. Neither personal nor vicarious discrimination significantly predicted depressive symptoms. Our findings highlight that racialized experiences occur early in childhood and have important implications for children's mental health.