CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN ADULTS

Abstract

Despite substantial evidence documenting the mental health consequences of discrimination, few studies examine how childhood discrimination shapes psychological well-being later in life. This study examined this linkage among African American adults in the Nashville Stress and Health Study (N= 622). Findings showed a significant association between childhood racial discrimination and adult psychological distress. Discrimination in early childhood (ages 0–12) and adolescence (age 13–18) was associated with greater levels of adult psychological distress. However, these effects were explained by adulthood discrimination experiences. Results also indicated a conditional relationship between childhood discrimination and adult mental health, such that those with no or some early childhood discrimination experienced amplified adult distress levels; those who experienced discrimination as adolescents had diminished mental health risk as adults. These findings suggest childhood discrimination influences adult mental health by shaping adult discrimination exposure. In some cases, childhood discrimination experiences are protective for mental health in later life.