The purpose of this article was to find out the link between supportive family environments for adolescents and the reduction in their exposure to racial discrimination, whose impact is normally manifested through cellular aging. In conducting this study, the researchers set a hypothesis that supportive family environment during the adolescent stage of a person normally minimizes their exposure to discrimination on racial grounds (Brody, Miller, Yu, Beach & Chen, 2016). Moreover, this study hypothesized that its impact on the biological weathering and the manifestation in cellular aging are also reduced. This research sought to answer the question of whether the kind of racial discrimination experienced by the African American adolescents can be eliminated through providing them with a supportive family environment. This is the research question that guided this study.
The methodology used in this article included taking perceived racial discrimination, supportive family environment, and confounder variables. Perceived racial discrimination was measured by evaluating the responses from the participants. Supportive family environments were measured through evaluation of the kind of conditions in which the participants grew. Confounder variables included other control measures designed by the researchers. These variables were examined for three years. This assessment was done across adolescence within two independent groups of the African American young people who hailed from the rural areas of Georgia (Brody et al., 2016). The methodology involved extracting DNA from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These cells were collected during their young adulthood. Furthermore, there were patterns of methylation that were applied in indexing the epigenetic ages of the cells under assessment. Methylation was also applied in indexing the extent of the difference of these ages from the chronological ones of the participants (Brody et al., 2016).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The results of the study as reported in this article indicate that the exposure to higher levels of racial discrimination failed to predict larger epigenetic aging among the young people from the supportive family environments. On the other hand, among the young people from family environments that were less supportive, exposure to the top levels of racial discrimination predicted higher epigenetic aging (Brody et al., 2016). However, with the confounder variables, the relationships emerged independently, and outcomes were replicated across the two groups. The racism score levels were very high for participants that experienced speedy epigenetic aging rates.
There are other studies that agree with the findings of this article. It is, for instance, commonly agreeable that African American young people normally get keenly recognize how they are treated by other individuals. These youths are particularly cognizant of any targeted rejection. It has to be understood that compared with the other races; the African Americans normally experience more aging-related ailments in their young adulthood lives. These diseases normally affect them at greater severity as well as serious consequences. These diseases can be attributed to the systemic disadvantage as well as social inequities, which begin at conception and continue throughout their childhood and adolescent stages of life.
Psychologists have explained that cumulative stress that is normally experienced during early life normally weathers physiological systems, leading to the premature aging of the cells. The consequence of the premature aging is shortened life expectancy. It is important to note the fact that the health risks, which African Americans normally experience emanate from factors that are more than class disadvantages alone. Investigations into this matter have pointed out that the psychological stressors, which affect the African Americans in a disproportionate manner, are the reasons for these health risks experienced by the African Americans. Psychologists say that these psychological stressors normally whether the physiological systems of a person's body hence enhancing their vulnerability to poor health.
Discrimination on racial lines is very dangerous and health risk. The racial discrimination experienced by the African Americans normally presents them with a lot of challenges in their lives. It is important to note that this discrimination on racial lines is real and is greatly being experienced by the African Americans. Virtually every African-American attests to experiencing an incident of discrimination in their lives. Most people have never taken the time to consider the health risks of discrimination based on race. It is important to note that incidents of racial discrimination normally cause stress, frustration, embarrassment and depression to the victims.
A causality relationship has been established between racial discrimination and the health-related physiological consequences. This is what this article sought to confirm. The findings of this article are very factual because depression and stress normally have fatal health consequences. The stress level in each participant was also measured. Through empirical research, it has been confirmed that racial discrimination leads to physiological health markers like poor birth resulting from the neuro-endocrine risk markers. Furthermore, the cardiovascular responses and poor sleep that is associated with discrimination are some of the health risks that African Americans experience (Berk, 2014). The situation is even worsened when they have nobody to console them and relieve their stresses.
Supportive family environments normally create a consolation place for the racially discriminated African Americans. The style of parenting is very important in the development of supportive family environments. Parents can create a supportive family environment by providing the needs of the children and addressing their concerns. Parents have also to make them feel cared for and secure. Being quite friendly to the children is one effective way children can be given a supportive family environment. When they are in depression because of encountering incidents of racial discrimination, the family members who offer them care normally come to their consolation and help them relive the stress. This is normally the situation in supportive family environments. However, for the less supportive family environments, the situation is bad. The victims of racial discrimination normally have no one to seek consolation from hence face the heavy consequences of this vice. Therefore, the article is right in suggesting for the enhancement of family environments that are supportive to overcome the health risks of discrimination. It is worthwhile that psychologists were able to have this health-related perspective of racial discrimination. It has to be countered to mitigate the aging health complications. People should not be exposed to racial discrimination, and if they do, there must be a supportive family environment to where they can rush for relief.
References
Berk, L. E. (2014). Development Through the Lifespan, 6th ed. Boston: Pearson.
Brody, G. H., Miller, G. E., Yu, T., Beach, S. R. H., & Chen, E. (2016). Supportive family environments ameliorate the link between racial discrimination and epigenetic aging: A Replication across two longitudinal cohorts. Psychological Science, 27 (4), 530-541.
