Introduction to the Special Issue: Disproportionate trauma, stress, and adversities as a pathway to health disparities among disenfranchised groups globally.

Abstract

Globally, individuals and communities that are marginalized based on their identities are at heightened risk for exposure to traumatic stress and socioeconomic hardship. Marginalization and disproportionate risk for many types of adversities correspond with disparities in physical health, mental health, and overall well-being. Together, the 12 empirical studies, one systematic review, and commentary in this special issue of the Journal of Traumatic Stress highlight the impact of discrimination and disproportionate adversity among groups marginalized based on race, ethnicity, nativity, caste, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic status, and medical status. Although most studies in this issue focus on the United States, the articles that focus on disparities and risk factors in India, El Salvador, Uganda, and Burundi provides a multicontinent global perspective. The global perspective, including the impact of the global pandemic, invites further examination of how disproportionate exposure to traumatic stress and adversity are associated with inequitable burden and health disparities worldwide. This special issue further highlights the developmental and multigenerational burden of systemic marginalization by including studies of children, young adults, adults, and parent-child dyads. Pathways for change and intervention are illustrated through a liberatory consciousness perspective, with one study utilizing liberatory media skills (e.g., positive media images and messages) to mitigate the adverse effects of trauma exposure on at-risk young adults of color. Worldwide, research on the effects of trauma, stress, and adversities must examine contextual factors (e.g., economic hardship), marginalization (e.g., discrimination, identity factors), and the differential impact on health among individuals and communities.