Evidence library

A first of it's kind Scottish report on BPoC children and young people’s mental health, advocating for the development of a specialised response to the significant but hidden impact of race and racism on mental health.

The report is based on consultations undertaken with BPoC children and young people in February 2021, as well as feedback from counsellors who are involved in IYS’ Mental Health service, which so far has supported approximately 30 BPoC children and young people (aged 12-24) in the first quarter of 2021.

Key findings of the report

• Encountering racism and hearing about racism against others had a clear
  negative impact on many of the children and young people’s mental health. This
  manifested in various ways, including feelings of isolation, hurt, anger, loss of motivation;
  constant worrying; hypervigilance; unsettlement; and self-doubt.
• While some children and young people said their families supported them in their
  mental health needs, overall, the young people described their difficulty in speaking about
  their emotions with their families due to stigma and lack of acknowledgement of mental
  health difficulties within some communities. Instead, those suffering from poor mental
  health were encouraged to ‘be strong’, ‘get over it’ or ‘pray’. Older generations’ attitudes
  were linked to the survival hardships and structural and interpersonal racism they
  experienced, which may also contribute to intergenerational trauma.
• Worryingly, most children and young people did not feel they could discuss race and
  racism and their effect on their mental health with school staff or other adults with authority.
  Reasons included that they did not feel they had a safe space to do so and that racist
  incidents were not taken seriously by school staff and other adults.
• Some children and young people’s mental health was also negatively affected by
  cultural expectations, especially gendered ones, and by the challenges of negotiating
  identity and belonging as second- or third-generation immigrants.
• BPoC children and young people experience a wide range of barriers to engaging
  with mental health services, including thinking the problems they face are not serious
  enough to merit engaging with mental health services; not acknowledging mental health
  issues until they reached a breaking point; lack of knowledge about available services; and
  misunderstandings of counselling. Altogether, these barriers reflect the hidden dynamics
  of structural racism in the mental health sector – the alienation and marginalisation
  of BPoC children and young people.