Rewrite Racism in schools harms Black youths’ mental health this news headline for the science magazine post

A new University of Ottawa study found a causal link between racial discrimination within schools and symptoms of depression in Black students.

The mixed-method, multi-study approach revealed a clear link between racism and mental health inside educational systems, with racial discrimination increasing symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression and PTSD for Black students.

Professor Jude Mary Cénat, a national leader in research on the mental health of Canada’s Black communities, is the lead author on the study examining the well-being and mental health of young Black students, identifying how academic racism hinders Black youths and their social and economic contribution to Canadian society.

Professor Cénat, who is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Black Health and of the Vulnerability, Trauma, Resilience and Culture Research Laboratory, led the five-year study which focused on the seven provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Manitoba) where 98.3 percent of Canada’s Black population reside.

Using quantitative data from a pair of large samples of Black students and in-depth interviews, researchers found:

• Over 40 percent of Black students have experienced racial discrimination, slamming the public myth that schools are a safe space.
• A permissive climate of racism festers within schools and universities increases negative mental health symptoms, and impacts families and communities.
• The role of school as a “protector” of students breaks down due to racial discrimination, with Black students losing trust in these systems as they are deemed less capable than their peers.
• There is an absence of adequate intervention by teachers and school workers to stop racial discrimination, which can often be ignored by school authorities.

Professor Cénat says the findings spell out an urgent need for government action to reduce and eliminate racism in the academic environment for the well-being and mental health of young Black students in Canada.

“Even though resources are available, most students see these as being impacted by racial discrimination. We can’t just ask Black youths to be strong, we must change the systems they rely on,” says Professor Cénat, who is a Full Professor in the Faculty of Social Sciences.

“These systematic reforms should include culturally appropriate policies, anti-racist interventions, and further training for educators. This study represents an invitation to take collective action to ensure that schools become truly inclusive and safe.”