Link Between Racial Disparity and Psychosis Among Young Adults Explored in New Research
Revamped Article:
Headline: Racism, Police Violence Tied to Higher Risk of Psychotic Episodes in Young Adults of Color
Hey there!! You probably wanna know about this new study that shows a strong link between racial inequality, police violence, and the increased risk of psychosis in low-income young people of color. This research, published by the NYU Silver School of Social Work, sheds light on the significant role of systemic oppression in mental health.
You might think that personal factors like trauma, drug use, or school bullying are the main causes of psychotic breaks. But this study flips the script and looks at broader social factors, such as racial inequality and experience with police violence, as potential contributing factors for the disproportionately high rates of psychosis among low-income young adults of color.
Researchers culled data from the National Survey of Poly-Victimization and Mental Health to explore individual-level and societal impacts on early psychosis risk. They found that young adults who identify as Black, Latino, multiracial, or Indigenous had a 60% higher chance of reporting experiencing one or more psychotic episodes compared to white respondents.
But, wait! It gets worse—if you've been in a situation involving police violence, you're 52% more likely to report one or more delusional or hallucinatory episodes in the previous year.
The study shifts the focus from individual risk factors to societal and structural factors. While the prevailing theories about psychosis center on the impact on the individual, this study emphasizes the importance of taking social systems and structural factors into account.
Developed in Northern Europe, the Social Defeat Hypothesis has been widely used by US psychiatrists for over two decades to understand the development of psychosis. This hypothesis frames risk factors around the impact on the individual. But this study calls for research into the impact of societal factors that are more prominent in low-income and marginalized communities.
In conclusion, this study underscores the pressing need to address structural factors like racial inequality, police violence, and discrimination in order to reduce the risk of psychosis in low-income young adults of color and reduce ethno-racial disparities in psychosis rates.
So, keep your eyes peeled for more research in this area and let's work towards creating a more equitable society for all!
About this psychosis and neurodevelopment research news
Author: Robert Polner (Originally written by) Robert PolnerSource: NYUContact: Robert Polner - NYUImage: The image is credited to our website
Original Research: Closed access. "Social Defeat and Psychosis in the United States" by Jordan DeVylder et al. Schizophrenia Bulletin
Abstract – Social Defeat and Psychosis in the United States
Background and Hypothesis
The social defeat hypothesis suggests that exclusion and discrimination experienced by socially marginalized populations predict psychotic experiences, particularly when perceived as defeatist. However, its emphasis on individual-level factors may obscure the role of structural and systemic influences.
Design
Data from the National Survey of Poly-victimization and Mental Health (N = 1 584) were analyzed to investigate cross-sectional associations between individual-level and structural indicators of marginalization and social defeat and self-reported psychotic experiences among young adults.
Results
BIPOC participants had a 60% higher odds of reporting psychotic experiences in the past year. Furthermore, participants with at least one experience of police violence in the past year had a 52% higher odds of reporting psychotic experiences.
Several additional indicators were associated with increased odds of psychotic experiences, including race (non-White compared to White), high-frequency substance use, everyday discrimination, exposure to childhood abuse or bullying.
Conclusions
Findings align with European social defeat literature, confirming the relevance of the hypothesis in the US context. However, the prominence of structural factors (racism, police violence) highlights the need for the social defeat hypothesis to incorporate systemic influences, emphasizing the need for interventions addressing societal contributors to psychosis risk.
- The neuroscience news highlights a study linking racism, police violence, and higher risk of psychotic episodes in young adults of color, shedding light on systemic oppression's role in mental health.
- Despite traditional beliefs about personal factors like trauma, drug use, or school bullying being the main causes of psychotic breaks, this new research focuses on broader social factors, such as racial inequality and experience with police violence.
- The study, published by the NYU Silver School of Social Work, found that young adults who identify as Black, Latino, multiracial, or Indigenous had a 60% higher chance of reporting experiencing one or more psychotic episodes compared to white respondents.
- Furthermore, if one has been in a situation involving police violence, they are 52% more likely to report one or more delusional or hallucinatory episodes in the previous year.
- This research challenges the prevailing theories about psychosis that centers on individual risk factors, instead emphasizing the importance of taking social systems and structural factors into account.
- The study underlines the need to address structural factors like racial inequality, police violence, and discrimination to reduce the risk of psychosis in low-income young adults of color and reduce ethno-racial disparities in psychosis rates, making mental-health interventions more equitable in the health-and-wellness field.
