ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews research on the impacts of perceiving discrimination on both psychological well-being and physical well-being. It also discusses the important role of group identity as both an outcome of perceiving discrimination and a possible buffer against discrimination that helps maintain psychological well-being. By the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, considerable research has focused on whether perceiving discrimination led children to be more depressed, anxious, or have low self-esteem, and whether individual differences moderated the impact of discrimination. This has proven to be a well-justified area of concern, as two meta-analyses have shown that the links between perceived discrimination and psychological well-being are actually stronger for children than adults. Not only does discrimination have a direct effect on psychological well-being, it can also exacerbate the effects of other major stressful events. Pascoe and Richman's model shows that negative physical health outcomes among adolescents are likely the result of heightened physiological stress reactions.
