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Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8457-9408

Date Available

5-31-2025

Year of Publication

2023

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Doctor of Social Work (DSW)

Faculty

Laura Escobar-Ratliff

Abstract

Racial trauma, also referred to as race-based traumatic Stress (RBTS), is a significant problem that African Americans experience. Racial trauma refers to people of Color and Indigenous individuals' (POCI) reactions to dangerous and threatening events and real or perceived experiences of and exposure to racial discrimination. RBTS can be experienced by other racial minorities, but it is the most frequently experienced by African Americans. The origins of racial trauma include racism, exposure to racism, experiencing and witnessing physical violence, the threat of injury, and numerous other emotionally traumatic events involving race. It is not uncommon for secondary traumatic stress disorder to occur as a result of the alarmingly high incidence of prejudice experienced by African Americans. Secondary traumatic stress disorder is characterized by the transfer of trauma symptoms from traumatized individuals to those who have close, prolonged contact with trauma victims. Microaggressions are additional components associated with racial trauma and RBTS. Microaggressions are defined as verbal, behavioral, and environmental injustices that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial bias towards racial minorities and have negative physical and mental health consequences for African Americans. Numerous factors can contribute to the occurrence of trauma in African Americans, which makes the topic of racial trauma significant. As a result of racially motivated shootings and the substantial number of African Americans slain by police, the incidence of trauma among African Americans continues to increase. In addition, everyday experiences, such as microaggressions, engender racial trauma in the African American community. African Americans are a vulnerable population, and the effects of racial trauma on this population require further examination. PTSD developed as a result of racism or racial trauma, is prone to be under-recognized because of a lack of awareness among clinicians, concern with discussing race in therapeutic settings, and a dearth of validated measures for its assessment. Clinicians must be properly educated and trained to address racial trauma, and instruments must be adapted to capture the impact and symptoms of racial trauma effectively. This would improve the efficacy of treatment for behavioral health, lessen the effects of racial trauma, and lead to overall improvements in the outcomes linked to the physical and mental health of the African American population.

Keywords: racial trauma, race-based traumatic stress, microaggressions, racisms, mental health, PTSD

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