An initial framework for the study of internalized racism and health: Internalized racism as a racism-induced identity threat response

Abstract

Internalized racism (IR) is sometimes conceptualized as a form of racism, a psychological response to experiencing racism, and/or an external sociocultural process. However, while a growing body of work shows that IR is associated with adverse health among racial minorities, this work is limited in explaining this association. I present an integrated framework using the Stigma-induced Identity Threat Model and the Minority Stress Theory Model to help better understand the mechanisms through which IR gets both “under the skin” and “into the mind” to impact health. With this integrated framework, I suggest IR is both a source of race- and racism-related stress and a consequence of experiencing racism that increases risk of adverse health directly, and indirectly via psychological, biophysiological, and behavioral stress responses. Primarily, I argue IR is a racism-induced identity threat response that triggers stress-related psychological (e.g., hopelessness) and biophysiological (e.g., autonomic nervous system activation) responses, and increases engagement in maladaptive coping behaviors (e.g., drug use). These stress responses then operate as mechanisms through which IR is associated with adverse health. I discuss limitations of this initial framework and IR scholarship, along with directions for future research.