31.2 THE REACTION TO HISTORICAL TRAUMA AMONG MINORITY YOUTH

• Published in: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Vol. 55; no. 10; p. S48
• Main Author: Pumariega, Andres J., MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Baltimore Elsevier Inc 01.10.2016; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Acutely; Advocacy; Aggression; Approaches; Bias; Black Lives Matter movement; Children & youth; Culture; Discrimination; Health disparities; Human agency; Imprisonment; Mental disorders; Mental health; Minority groups; Multiculturalism & pluralism; Pediatrics; Psychiatry; Self Advocacy; Social movements; Socioeconomic factors; Terrorism; Trauma; Unconsciousness; Underserved populations; Unemployment; Urban Areas; Violence; Youth; United States > US
• ISSN: 0890-8567; 1527-5418
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2016.07.624

Objectives: This session seeks to draw a linkage between the current minority youth movements (Black Lives Matter and Latino Dreamers) and the continued reliving of historical trauma and current trauma among minority youth in the United States. In recent years, discrimination has shifted from overt to latent, institutional, and unconscious bias, which has made it more ingrained and that much harder to challenge and address. However, as greater socioeconomic challenges and fears of global competition and terrorism have beset the broader US population, the value of diversity and compensatory approaches to address discrimination and disparities has been questioned. This has resulted in higher levels of tension between mainstream versus minority populations. In parallel, the most disenfranchised minority youth continue to experience high rates of unemployment, incarceration, and violence within inner city communities. Much of this violence can be seen as the result of the impact of historical, cultural trauma. Methods: The chronicles of historical trauma for the three main underserved, under-represented minority groups are reviewed. The recent context of socioeconomic stress and its impact on already stressed communities is presented, including the effect that recent violent incidents have served to acutely reactivate the impact of historical trauma. The role of an agency in addressing the impact of personal and historical trauma, including the evidence behind this approach, is then discussed. Results: The current youth movements (Black Lives Matter and Latino Dreamers) among minority youth can be seen as "agentistic" movements. They offer minority youth an opportunity to develop an agency in the midst of an adverse climate and work to find proactive personal and societal solutions for the continuing adversities resulting from historical trauma. The development of an agency is an adaptive, constructive approach for self-advocacy that has been shown to be important in addressing the impact of adverse health and mental health consequences. Conclusions: CAPs should be sensitive to the adverse impact of historical trauma, incorporate validating and agentistic approaches to address the impact of historical cultural trauma, and support participation by diverse youth in proactive social movements.