Among racialized immigrants and refugees in Canada, greater exposure to racist events was associated with elevated racial trauma, which contributed to higher PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms.
Racial trauma significantly mediated the relationship between exposure to racist events and PTSD symptoms among racialized immigrants and refugees in Canada.
Racial trauma significantly mediated the relationship between racist events and depression symptoms.
Racial trauma significantly mediated the relationship between racist events and anxiety symptoms.
The mediation models explained a substantial share of the variance in mental health outcomes.
Greater exposure to racist events was associated with higher racial trauma, which in turn was linked to worse mental health symptoms.
The authors conclude that clinicians, community organizations, and policymakers should integrate anti-racism strategies and racial trauma frameworks to support immigrant and refugee mental health.
This study looked at 182 immigrants and refugees in Canada, many of them of African descent, to understand how experiences of racism relate to mental health. It focused on 'racial trauma', the psychological and physical stress reactions that can follow repeated racist experiences. Participants completed questionnaires about racist events, racial trauma, and symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. The results suggest that racial trauma helps explain why racist events are linked to poorer mental health. People who reported more racist events also reported more racial trauma, and this was in turn tied to higher PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms. The statistical models accounted for roughly 34% to 46% of the differences in symptoms across people. This research suggests that mental health support for immigrants and refugees may need to address racism and racial trauma directly, rather than only treating symptoms. The authors call for anti-racism strategies and racial trauma frameworks in clinical care, community organizations, and policy. Because the data were self-reported from a single group at one point in time, the findings show an association and cannot by themselves prove cause and effect.
Jin L, Nguyen T. (2026). The impact of racist events on post-trauma mental health symptoms among immigrants and refugees in Canada: the role of racial trauma.. European journal of psychotraumatology. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2026.2737042