Research Projects
Stay tuned here for updates on our several upcoming research projects!
What is the state of knowledge about anti-Black racism and the health of children, teens and young adults?
Our team is in the process of conducting a systematic review to carefully examine the current literature surrounding the health implications of perceived racial discrimination on Black children, adolescents and emerging adults. The results of this research will help build a foundation of evidence to support future research priorities, and more importantly, determine the best actions that researchers, policymakers, and practitioners can take to support the well-being and resilience of Black young people in the face of systemic racism.
What are Black postsecondary students’ experiences of ABR in university contexts, and how can current and prospective Black students be better prepared to cope with its mental health impacts?
Exposure to anti-Black racism (ABR) in institutional and community contexts is associated with negative mental health and educational outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, poor academic self-concept, premature dropout) for youth and emerging adults seeking higher education. In a collaboration between UofT and a youth-serving community organization, the purpose of this project is to explore current and prospective Black postsecondary students’ perceptions and experiences of racial discrimination within university contexts, identify ways in which these experiences impact their mental health, and explore their experiences of on-campus mental health supports for coping with ABR. This will aid with the identification of culturally responsive opportunities for improvement of campus mental health supports and advance knowledge on effective ways to prepare and support Black students aiming to attend university.
For youth who are both immigrant and black, how are experiences of racism related to their psychological well-being?
As research continues to show that there is a strong association between experiences of racism and poor health outcomes, racial discrimination is increasingly recognized as a significant determinant of health for racialized populations, including Black youth. There is some evidence that immigrant-origin Black youth are at heightened risk for developing many problematic physical and mental health outcomes due to their intersecting identities (for example being both immigrant and Black.
The purpose of this community-based project is to explore the relationship between perceived racism and psychological distress in immigrant-origin Black youth (IOBY), and how other factors impact this relationship. Participants aged 12-18, that self-identify as Black, are of immigrant origin, and are of Caribbean or African descent will be recruited for interviews and given questionnaires. We hope to investigate their experiences with racial discrimination, and factors that influenced or helped them cope with these experiences. The findings of this study should further the current literature on the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and global psychological distress among young people within the Canadian context. It will also help us better understand the impact racial discrimination has on Black urban youth's mental health, in their own words.
