Death by a Thousand Cuts: The Health Implications of Black Respectability Politics

Lee, Hedwig; Hicken, Margaret T.

doi:10.1080/10999949.2016.1230828

Cited by 54 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…This is not to say that discrimination and vigilance do not matter for men’s health. Indeed, previous work on vigilance in particularly indicates that it is related to health for men as well as women (Clark et al, 2006; Hicken et al, 2013a; Hicken et al, 2014; LaVeist et al, 2014; H. Lee & Hicken, 2016). What is more likely is that inequalities in weight-related measures capture a chronic stress component in women in particular (Hicken et al, 2013b).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…First, there is a growing literature on the ways in which Black Americans attend to self-presentation (Della et al, 2002; Fleming et al, 2012; Goffman, 1969; H. Lee & Hicken, 2016; Sue et al, 2008). We highlight two aspects in particular – attention to appearance and attention to speech.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, research suggests that, in samples of Black Americans, chronic vigilance is related to dysfunction of the biological stress response system (Clark et al, 2006) and multiple physical and mental health measures including depressive symptoms, self-rated health, and a count of chronic conditions (H. Lee & Hicken, 2016). Finally, research using probability-based samples suggests that vigilance plays an important role in racial inequalities in health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The weight of racism: Vigilance and racial inequalities in weight-related measures

Hicken

Lee

Hing

2018

Social Science & Medicine

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104

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In the United States, racial/ethnic inequalities in obesity are well-documented, particularly among women. Using the Chicago Community Adult Health Study, a probability-based sample in 2001–2003 (N=3,105), we examined the roles of discrimination and vigilance in racial inequalities in two weight-related measures, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), viewed through a cultural racism lens. Cultural racism creates a social environment in which Black Americans bear the stigma burden of their racial group while White Americans are allowed to view themselves as individuals. We propose that in this context, interpersonal discrimination holds a different meaning for Blacks and Whites, while vigilance captures the coping style for Blacks who carry the stigma burden of the racial group. By placing discrimination and vigilance within the context of cultural racism, we operationalize existing survey measures and utilize statistical models to clarify the ambiguous associations between discrimination and weight-related inequalities in the extant literature. Multivariate models were estimated for BMI and WC separately and were stratified by gender. Black women had higher mean BMI and WC than any other group, as well as highest levels of vigilance. White women did not show an association between vigilance and WC but did show a strong positive association between discrimination and WC. Conversely, Black women displayed an association between vigilance and WC, but not between discrimination and WC. These results demonstrate that vigilance and discrimination may hold different meanings for obesity by ethnoracial group that are concealed when all women are examined together and viewed without considering a cultural racism lens.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The weight of racism: Vigilance and racial inequalities in weight-related measures

Hicken

Lee

Hing

2018

Social Science & Medicine

Self Cite

104

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“…A similar explanation suggests that the combination of incarceration and high levels of discrimination may lead to high levels of vigilance (e.g., avoiding being harassed, preparation for potential prejudice and discrimination) (73). Research on African Americans indicates that anticipation of unfair treatment is associated with psychiatric disorders (74), major depressive disorder (24), depressive symptoms (25), hypertension (75), and poor sleep quality (76).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discrimination Fully Mediates the Effects of Incarceration History on Depressive Symptoms and Psychological Distress Among African American Men

Assari

Miller

Taylor

et al. 2017

J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

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Discrimination may play an important role in the mental health problems of African American men with a history of incarceration. These findings have public policy implications as well as clinical implications for mental health promotion of African American men. Policies that reduce preventable incarceration or at least reduce subsequent discrimination for those who have been incarcerated may enhance mental health of previously incarcerated African American men.

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“…Research that assesses the socio‐behavioral as well as physical effects of passive media consumption and media‐based interventions is ripe for further development. Individuals do, however, consciously perceive and respond to threats of cultural racism . Vigilant coping—such as actively monitoring speech and dress, minimizing being perceived as a threat, or otherwise regulating one's exposure to whiteness—is a behavioral by‐product of attempts to adapt to ubiquitous structural and cultural racism and is a source of racism‐related stress .…”

Section: Research and Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culture, Race, and Health: Implications for Racial Inequities and Population Health

2019

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Racism is a fundamental cause of health inequities and disease, which requires policy solutions that address this cause directly rather than only targeting mechanisms. Cultural systems, such as cultural racism, undergird the social conditions that shape racial inequities in health, including social and health policy decision making, governance, practice, and public reception. Policies targeting racial health equity benefit from integrating social theory and meaningful assessments of the social context concerning race, racism, and health. Context Improving the health of the total population may be insufficient in eliminating racial disparities in population health. An expanding commitment to understanding social determinants of health aims to address the social conditions that produce racialized patterns in health inequity. There is also a resurging and evolving interest in the influence of cultural barriers and assets in shaping racial inequities in health. The meaning and function of culture, however, remains underspecified. Methods This paper synthesizes analogous but fragmented concepts of cultural threat related to social and racial inequity as examined in public and population health, psychology, sociology, communications, media studies, and law. It draws on an existing typology of culture and social inequity to organize concepts related to cultural racism. Employing a transdisciplinary approach, the paper integrates multiple scholarly perspectives on cultural threat to frame cultural racism as cultural systems that promote false presumptions of white superiority relative to non‐whites. Findings The lack of shared conceptual grounding and language regarding cultural threats to health hinders a more precise identification and measurement of cultural processes as well as comparisons of relative prevalence and influence of pathways linking cultural processes and social inequity. Evaluating intersections among culture, structures, and racism is a valuable analytical tool for understanding the production of social and racial inequities in health. To adequately address health inequities rooted in systemic racism, it is imperative to discuss the function of cultural racism in shaping population health in the United States. Conclusions Building a culture of health and achieving health equity requires that we assess cultural racism in a more meaningful way. Cultural processes are commonly referenced in health inequity scholarship, but the empirical literature generally lags behind the conceptual emphasis. A rich literature across disciplines has substantively engaged conceptualizations of culture and cultural processes, the importance of these processes as part of a system of racism, and mechanisms that may link cultural threats to health. When integrated, this literature offers essential insights for ways population health may address the complex issue of eradicating racial disparities in health.

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Death by a Thousand Cuts: The Health Implications of Black Respectability Politics

Cited by 54 publications

References 66 publications

The weight of racism: Vigilance and racial inequalities in weight-related measures

The weight of racism: Vigilance and racial inequalities in weight-related measures

Discrimination Fully Mediates the Effects of Incarceration History on Depressive Symptoms and Psychological Distress Among African American Men

Culture, Race, and Health: Implications for Racial Inequities and Population Health

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