Caregiver experiences of racism are associated with adverse health outcomes for their children: a cross-sectional analysis of data from the New Zealand Health Survey

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the association between caregiver experiences of racial discrimination and physical and emotional health outcomes for their children and to explore potential pathway variables in this relation. We analysed data from two instances of the New Zealand Health Survey that provide nationally representative data for children and adults, with high response rates for each of the major ethnic groupings (Indigenous Māori, Pacific, Asian, and European/Other). Questionnaires from the primary caregiver and their child (5 to 14 years) were linked to create n = 2,958 childprimary caregiver dyads in the 2006/07 Survey and n = 2,632 dyads in the 2011/12 Survey. Children whose caregivers reported any experience of racial discrimination had poorer mental health, self-esteem, and behaviour scores on the CHQ PF-28 scale, even after adjustment for caregiver sociodemographic variables. Multivariable models identified a worsening in child emotional health as the number of reported racism experiences increased. Caregiver experiences of racism were not associated with medicated asthma in their children. Multivariable models suggest that caregiver psychological distress may be a pathway linking vicarious racism to poorer child emotional health.

Informing Anti-Racism Health Policy in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…To be included in the review, these documents needed to reference racism in the content of the report; the intent was to see to what extent racism is acknowledged, and how that acknowledgement is linked with subsequent actions (or not). Documents Aotearoa New Zealand's international human rights obligations stress the requirement and need to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms... (Cormack, Harris and Paine, 2018;Paine et al, 2020).…”

“…Racism influences access to healthy environments and other conditions that are required for good health for Mäori, as well as access to health care and experiences of healthcare interactions (Harris et al, 2012a(Harris et al, , 2012b. The effects of experiencing racism can be transmitted intergenerationally, with research showing impacts from birth through childhood to adulthood (Hobbs et al, 2017;Paine et al, 2020;Thayer and Kuzawa, 2015).…”

Te Rangatiratanga o te Reo: sovereignty in Indigenous languages in early childhood education in Aotearoa

“…Both the historical and contemporary breaches of the treaty can be attributed to the deeply ingrained assumption of white superiority and resulting inherent racism that continues to impact Māori wellbeing (Moewaka Barnes and McCreanor 2019;Paine et al 2019). The cumulative effects of loss of language, lands, and the economic base that would have provided for Māori wellbeing and economic security, mean that Māori suffer from the negative impacts of both intergenerational trauma, and overrepresentation in negative social statistics such as educational failure, poor health outcomes, imprisonment, homelessness and so on (Gordon and MacGibbon 2010;Pihama et al 2014;Ministry of Social Development 2016), and recent reports confirm the ongoing racism Māori face on a daily basis (Jackson 2018; Ministry of Education 2019a).…”

Te Rangatiratanga o te Reo: Sovereignty in Indigenous Languages

“…Both the historical and contemporary breaches of the treaty can be attributed to the deeply ingrained assumption of white superiority and resulting inherent racism that continues to impact Māori wellbeing (Moewaka Barnes & McCreanor, 2019;Paine et. al., 2019).…”