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Addressing the “Myth” of Racial Trauma: Developmental and Ecological Considerations for Youth of Color

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Abstract

Trauma is prevalent among children and adolescents, with youth of color generally reporting greater exposure compared to White youth. One factor that may account for this difference is racial stress, which can manifest into trauma symptoms. Although racial stress and trauma (RST) significantly impacts youth of color, most of the research to date has focused on adult populations. In addition, little attention has been given to the impact of the ecological context in how youth encounter and cope with RST. As such, we propose the Developmental and Ecological Model of Youth Racial Trauma (DEMYth-RT), a conceptual model of how racial stressors manifest to influence the trauma symptomatology of children and adolescents of color. Within developmental periods, we explore how individual, family, and community processes influence youth’s symptoms and coping. We also discuss challenges to identifying racial trauma in young populations according to clinician limitations and the post-traumatic stress disorder framework within the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders—fifth edition (DSM-5). The article concludes with implications on applying DEMYth-RT in clinical and research settings to address RST for youth of color.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Psychiatry and Education, University of California Los Angeles, 457 Portola Plaza, Moore Hall 1022A, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Farzana T. Saleem

  2. School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 3822 SPH I, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, USA

    Riana E. Anderson

  3. University of Ottawa School of Psychology, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier Pvt., Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Monnica Williams

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Saleem, F.T., Anderson, R.E. & Williams, M. Addressing the “Myth” of Racial Trauma: Developmental and Ecological Considerations for Youth of Color. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 23, 1–14 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00304-1

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