Exploring Cross-Racial Identities and their Impact on Personal Well-being: Overcoming Obstacles and Finding Solutions
In a world where racial identity is often seen as singular and fixed, multiracial individuals face unique challenges that can significantly impact their mental health. This systemic discrimination, known as monoracism, can lead to poorer mental health outcomes for multiracial youth, such as increased risks of stress, anxiety, identity confusion, and feelings of rejection and marginalization.
At the heart of these challenges are identity struggles. When their racial identities are not acknowledged fully or are forced into a single category, multiracial youths may grapple with self-identity and a sense of belonging. This rejection and marginalization can also lead to social isolation, as both monoracial and multiracial groups may reject them.
The persistent experience of monoracism can contribute to chronic stress and mental health struggles, including anxiety, depression, and lower self-esteem. Moreover, it shapes not just self-perception but also how these youths perceive societal structures and their own opportunities.
Racial-ethnic socialization is a crucial tool in combating these effects. It involves transmitting messages about what it means to be a member of one's racial-ethnic groups, including teaching multiracial children about their monoracial and multiracial identities. Resources such as the EmbraceRace organization, books, and the Multiracial Families Project Facebook page are available for parents and caregivers to learn more about racial-ethnic socialization and prepare their children for discrimination as multiracial individuals.
It is essential to challenge stereotypes and assumptions about how a member of a certain racial group looks, acts, or identifies. Family members, particularly multiracial families with members from different racial groups, may not as easily understand one another's experiences with race and discrimination.
Multiracial individuals have multiple identity options, including identifying as a member of one monoracial group, multiracial, biracial, mixed race, or a specialized term. Receiving support from parents and caregivers that validates multiracial youths' discrimination experiences and encourages them to learn about and express their racial identity is important to their self-esteem.
However, negative socialization can be harmful to multiracial youths' self-esteem and mental health. Prejudicial and invalidating messages can exacerbate feelings of rejection and marginalization. It is crucial to promote positive socialization messages, such as diversity appreciation messaging and positive socialization messages, to counteract these negative effects.
Research is still being conducted to understand the effects of racial awareness on multiracial youths' mental health and well-being. It is hoped that the narratives of multiracial individuals become more visible, shedding light on these challenges and paving the way for more effective support and social change.
- Psychiatry and psychology professionals must acknowledge the distinct mental health challenges multiracial individuals face due to monoracism.
- Mental health equity requires addressing racial and ethnic disparities that impact overall health, including mental health.
- Lifestyle choices, such as participating in fashion-and-beauty trends and self-care routines, can positively affect one's mental health in the context of mental health-related social media conversations.
- In education-and-self-development settings, fostering awareness around mental health and well-being can lead to personal growth.
- Mental health awareness should be integrated into various sectors, like entertainment, career development, and pop-culture, to help destigmatize mental health challenges.
- Celebrities who openly discuss their mental health struggles can promote acknowledgement and empathy, breaking down barriers in discussions about mental health.
- Politics must prioritize mental health parity and investment in resources to ensure equitable access to care.
- In pop-culture discourse, normalizing open dialogue about mental health can lead to greater acceptance and support for individuals struggling with their mental health.
- Sci-fi-and-fantasy narratives often explore the complexities of identity and mental health, offering opportunities for reflection and understanding.
- General-news outlets should cover mental health issues as extensively as they do physical health issues, shedding light on the intersection of race, mental health, and social justice.
- Crime-and-justice reform efforts must consider the mental health needs of both victims and offenders to promote healing and restorative justice.
- Sports, particularly football, WNBA, hockey, golf, and basketball, provide platforms for athletes to discuss mental health struggles and promoteawareness around mental health issues.
- NCAA basketball and NHL players have been vocal about mental health and the importance of seeking help, encouraging others to do the same.
- Racing, including auto-racing and horse racing, has room for improved representation and support of multiracial athletes in the sport.
- American football leagues should continue to foster greater diversity and inclusion within their ranks, including mental health support for players.
- In professional sports like the NBA, increased representation of multiracial athletes can lead to greater understanding and acceptance of multiracial individuals.
- The Masters golf tournament has seen increased diversity in recent years, with multiracial athletes competing and thriving within the sport.
- Weather forecasting and analysis require collaboration between diverse groups of scientists, who bring different perspectives and experiences to the field.
- Tennis tournaments have also seen increased diversity in recent years, with multiracial athletes competing at the top levels of the sport.
- Mental health resources and support should be made readily available for athletes at every level of sport, from recreational to professional, to promote well-being and resilience.
