The effect of experiencing racism throughout a lifetime is a type of stressor, where there is an awareness of being treated and responded to in an unfair way based on race. This can include being feared, avoided or disadvantaged. It can also lead to experiences of trauma. These subtle influences can result in feelings of hopelessness and difficulties adjusting and recovering from trauma. Chronic stress and trauma affect mental and physical health, and these effects can be felt by individuals, families and communities across generations (PHAC, 2020).
Some believe that experiencing everyday minor incidents or slights (i.e., microaggressions) and the perception that society is discriminatory may have a greater effect on a person's health than overt discriminatory acts such as racist attacks (Laveist, 1996).
Racism intersects with other forms of discrimination based on culture, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability or socioeconomic status. These intersecting factors directly affect the lives and well-being experienced by Indigenous and immigrant, refugee, ethnocultural and racialized groups (IRER).
Experiences of discrimination—and corresponding responses of resistance and resilience—can look different across racialized communities. Racialized populations in Canada are diverse, and different kinds of discrimination intersect to shape the experiences of individuals and groups with different histories and identities. For some, resilience builds from the experience of being Indigenous or belonging to an IRER group. For others, the way they are perceived in the broader society (and the resulting racism and discrimination they experience) undermines their mental health (MHCC & CAMH, 2009).
A large body of evidence illustrates how racism leads to mental illnesses, especially depression and extended periods of adjustment such as long-standing grief or difficulty coping with and adapting to severe events (MHCC & CAMH, 2009; Szaflarski & Bauldry, 2019). Racism often leads to mental health problems and disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychosis) that persist as people get older with continued exposure (Synergi Collaborative Centre, 2018).