How does discrimination affect individuals' mental health, and how can social support, community belonging, and chosen family provide protection against its negative impacts? Research has shown that people who experience discrimination based on their identity characteristics are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder than those who don't. Social support, community belonging, and chosen family can act as buffers against this harmful effect by providing emotional, practical, and instrumental assistance that helps individuals cope with the negative consequences of discrimination. Social support refers to the availability of friends, relatives, neighbors, coworkers, and others who offer emotional, informational, appraisal, or tangible help. Community belonging means being part of a group or network that provides a sense of belonging, shared values, and normative expectations. Chosen family is defined as a non-biological system of relationships formed outside traditional kinship structures, where individuals choose their own families based on mutual care, respect, and love. Studies have found that all three types of support can buffer the effects of discrimination on mental health.
Researchers found that women who reported having greater social support were less likely to exhibit signs of depressive symptoms after experiencing discrimination based on gender. Similarly, a study showed that African American adults who felt connected to their communities experienced lower levels of psychological distress when they encountered discrimination.
A recent study found that LGBTQ+ individuals who had a strong chosen family reported fewer symptoms of PTSD following experiences of victimization due to their sexual orientation.
These findings suggest that promoting social support, community belonging, and chosen family could be an effective strategy for reducing the adverse impacts of discrimination on mental health outcomes.
How do social support, community belonging, and chosen family buffer the effects of discrimination on mental health?
Social support, community belonging, and chosen family are all important factors that can help individuals cope with the negative impact of discrimination on their mental health. Studies have shown that when people feel supported by others, they are more likely to experience less depression, anxiety, and stress as a result of discriminatory experiences.