{"id":66730,"date":"2023-01-12T00:50:12","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T05:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=66730"},"modified":"2023-01-12T00:50:12","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T05:50:12","slug":"what-is-racial-battle-fatigue-a-school-psychologist-explains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/what-is-racial-battle-fatigue-a-school-psychologist-explains\/","title":{"rendered":"What is racial battle fatigue? A school psychologist explains"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

When William A. Smith, a\u00a0scholar of education and culture<\/a>, introduced the term \u201cracial battle fatigue\u201d in\u00a02003<\/a>, he used it to describe the\u00a0cumulative effects of racial hostility<\/a>\u00a0that Black people \u2013 specifically faculty and graduate students \u2013 experience at predominantly white colleges and universities. In short, it takes a toll on their psychological, physical and emotional well-being.<\/p>\n

Since then, the term has been applied by scholars to\u00a0Hispanic undergraduates<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0women of color<\/a>. Scholars have also applied the term to groups beyond the college campus, such as\u00a0teachers of color<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0students of color<\/a>\u00a0at the K-12 level. Most of the research on racial battle fatigue deals with the matter within the context of education.<\/p>\n

As a concept, racial battle fatigue is rooted in\u00a0critical race theory<\/a>, which holds that racism is systemic and\u00a0embedded in legal systems and policies<\/a>, not just something that takes place on an interpersonal level.<\/p>\n

Smith was not the first to connect race and fatigue in one phrase. For example, in his 1990 book \u201cContent of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America<\/a>,\u201d author\u00a0Shelby Steele<\/a>\u00a0wrote about \u201ca kind of race fatigue, a deep weariness with things racial<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the term \u201cbattle fatigue<\/a>\u201d has long been used to describe the symptoms that result from the stress of combat, such as depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n

The term \u201cracial battle fatigue,\u201d then, likens the collective experiences of people of color who are subjected to racial hostility to that of soldiers who experience\u00a0combat stress<\/a>. Both are believed to result from being placed in a\u00a0hostile environment filled with regular threats and attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What causes racial battle fatigue?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It may come about from\u00a0racial macroaggressions<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0racial microaggressions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Racial macroaggressions<\/a>\u00a0are far-reaching race-related experiences that may be publicized and traumatic. For instance, when a\u00a0video surfaced<\/a>\u00a0of George Floyd\u00a0slowly being killed as a result of a police officer who knelt on his neck<\/a>, experts say it\u00a0traumatized many who saw the video<\/a>. This experience is an example of how hearing about or observing experiences of racial prejudice and discrimination can\u00a0add to the distress of people of color<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Racial microaggressions<\/a>\u00a0are defined as \u201cbrief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color.\u201d\u00a0Common racial microaggressions<\/a>\u00a0toward Black individuals include questions like \u201cWhere are you from?\u201d and statements such as \u201cYou are so articulate\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m not racist. I have several Black friends.\u201d They also include asking a Black person, \u201cWhy are you so loud?\u201d and confusing a Black professional for a service worker.<\/p>\n

Students of color may experience racial microaggressions throughout their academic careers, beginning\u00a0before college<\/a>\u00a0and persisting into\u00a0college and university settings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What does racial battle fatigue cause?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chronic racial stress is associated with poorer mental health. This includes\u00a0depression and anxiety<\/a>. It is also associated with an increased likelihood for\u00a0developing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chronic racial stress also increases the probability that a person of color\u00a0won\u2019t get good sleep<\/a>. It is associated with a\u00a0diminished sense of well-being<\/a>,\u00a0a loss of appetite<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0elevated blood pressure<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Racial microaggressions in academic settings can\u00a0hurt students\u2019 academic achievement<\/a>\u00a0and leave them feeling\u00a0out of place<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0invisible<\/a>\u00a0to teachers and administrators.<\/p>\n

What can be done?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are several strategies students of color can practice to minimize the damage caused by experiencing racial stress.<\/p>\n

1. Build community:<\/strong>\u00a0Social belonging has been found to\u00a0mitigate racial stress<\/a>\u00a0for Black high school students. It has also been found to improve the academic achievement of\u00a0Black college students<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To this effect, students of color can seek to form connections with other individuals of color to foster a sense of community, which may\u00a0lessen feelings of isolation for people of color<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Engage in mindfulness:<\/strong>\u00a0Research suggests the benefits of using\u00a0mindfulness<\/a>\u00a0strategies to manage racial stress. For example, when students of color engaged in a\u00a0self-affirmation exercise<\/a>\u00a0that involved writing about important life values, it lessened the effects of negative race-based stereotypes on their academic achievement.<\/p>\n

Students can also learn\u00a0reflective coping strategies<\/a>, which involve managing stressful events by changing the situation, their emotions or their thoughts. Research has found that the use of such strategies can promote\u00a0positive mental health<\/a>\u00a0for students of color exposed to racial microaggressions.<\/p>\n

3. Get some exercise:<\/strong>\u00a0Students of color can make conscious efforts to engage in regular physical activity, as exposure to racial discrimination has been found to lead to a more\u00a0sedentary lifestyle<\/a>, which can in turn lead to poorer health.<\/p>\n

As long as racism persists in education, students of color may never be able to completely avoid racial battle fatigue. But by being more conscious of this fatigue and how to fight it, they can at least be equipped to deal with it more effectively and prevent it from harming their academic careers and their lives.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Geremy Grant is Assistant Professor of School Psychology at Alfred University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When William A. Smith, a\u00a0scholar of education and culture, introduced the term \u201cracial battle fatigue\u201d in\u00a02003, he used it to describe the\u00a0cumulative effects of racial hostility\u00a0that Black people \u2013 specifically faculty and graduate students \u2013 experience at predominantly white colleges and universities. In short, it takes a toll on their psychological, physical and emotional well-being. […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109017],"tags":[434243],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-66730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health-care","tag-racial-battle-fatigue"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is racial battle fatigue? 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