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5.27.2009

racism hurts kids' mental health

This article, published earlier in the month, comes from the "no duh" file... According to a recent study, fifth graders who feel they've been mistreated because of their skin color are much more likely than classmates without such feelings to have symptoms of mental disorders, especially depression: Racism hurts kids' mental health.

There is evidence that racial discrimination increases the odds that adolescents and adults will develop mental health problems, but this is apparently the first study to examine a possible link in children of varied races.

It doesn't prove that discrimination caused the emotional problems, because unlike studies of older people, these children weren't followed over time. It's possible that prejudice harms children's mental health, but it's also possible that troubled kids prompt more discriminatory remarks from peers or that children with emotional problems perceive more bias.

Yes, the link between perceived racism and mental disorders is strong. But here's what bugs me about this study. There is absolutely no mention of Asians. According to the article, "Prejudice was reported by 20% of blacks, 15% of Hispanics, 16% in the "other" category and 7% of whites."

You've got to be kidding me. Did no one conducting this study bother to ask any Asian kids about perceived racism? Are they part of this nondescript "other" category? Or perhaps someone thinks that Asian kids somehow do not suffer from prejudice. Because I can tell you for a fact that they do. Seriously, what's up with the omission?