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Perceptions of Racism in Hurricane Katrina‐Related Events: Implications for Collective Guilt and Mental Health Among White Americans
Author(s) -
Blodorn Alison,
O’Brien Laurie T.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
analyses of social issues and public policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.479
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1530-2415
pISSN - 1529-7489
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-2415.2011.01237.x
Subject(s) - racism , mental health , hurricane katrina , perception , white (mutation) , feeling , psychology , suicide prevention , poison control , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , clinical psychology , social psychology , medicine , psychiatry , sociology , natural disaster , environmental health , gender studies , geography , biochemistry , chemistry , pathology , neuroscience , meteorology , gene
Perceptions of racism against African Americans can result in negative mental health outcomes among African Americans (e.g., Klonoff, Landrine, & Ullman, 1999 ); however, it is less clear how perceptions of racism against African Americans affect White Americans. The present study examines the relationship between perceptions of racism against African Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and negative mental health outcomes among a sample highly impacted by the disaster—White community residents of New Orleans. Perceptions of racism against African Americans were associated with negative mental health outcomes, even after controlling for demographic variables and disaster exposure. Furthermore, feelings of collective guilt mediated the relationship between perceptions of racism and negative mental health outcomes.