How racism harms children

Claire McCarthy, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing, writes that Racism hurts children, in real and fundamental ways. It hurts not just their health, but their chances for a good, successful life.

How does racism affect health and well-being in children?

And it truly is a disease. Racism and its effects can lead to chronic stress for children. And chronic stress leads to actual changes in hormones that cause inflammation in the body, a marker of chronic disease. Stress that a mother experiences during pregnancy can affect children even before they are born. Despite improvements in health care, racial disparities exist in infant mortality as well as low birth weight.

These days, it’s important to think about chronic stress for the children of immigrant families. Many live in constant fear of being separated from their parents if they haven’t been already.

Children raised in African American, Hispanic, and American Indian populations are more likely to live in homes with higher unemployment and lower incomes than white children. This means that they are less likely to have good housing, good nutrition, good access to health care, and access to a good education. Such disparities increase their risk of health problems and of receiving less, and lower-quality, education.

Even when minority children live in wealthier areas, research shows that they are often treated differently by teachers. They are more likely to be harshly punished for minor infractions, less likely to be identified as needing special education, and teachers may underestimate their abilities. And when a teacher doesn’t believe in you, you are less likely to believe in yourself.

Referencing the National Center for Education Statistics, the AAP statement notes that in the 2015–2016 school year, 88% of white students graduated from high school. In comparison, only 76% of African Americans, 72% of American Indians, and 79% of Hispanics did the same. This is important not just in terms of economic opportunity but also in terms of health: adults with a college degree live longer and have lower rates of chronic disease than those who did not graduate from college.

The juvenile justice system is another place where racism plays out. Minority youth are more likely to be incarcerated, with all the health and emotional consequences this brings, both during incarceration and after. Being incarcerated forever changes a person — and changes how others see them.

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