An Interpersonal Physiological Pathway Framework Linking Racism and Well-Being in Black American Families

Abstract

In the US, Black parents and children are regularly exposed to multiple forms of racism, including interpersonal experiences of discrimination and structural inequities that disproportionately affect Black Americans. A sizeable body of evidence has established that these exposures can have detrimental consequences for child health and well-being, and may do so by altering individuals’ physiological functioning. However, an understanding of how racism experienced by parents and children impacts developmental parent-child processes is lacking. A comprehensive view of the mechanisms through which racism may impact child and family functioning is critical for promoting health and well-being in Black communities. This review proposes an interpersonal physiological pathway framework for conceptualizing the ways in which parent and child exposure to interpersonal and structural racism may impact physiological functioning, with implications for lifespan health and well-being. Specifically, racism is proposed to impact parent–child physiological coregulation (i.e., how dyads influence and regulate one another's physiology during interpersonal interactions), which may contribute to racial disparities in child health and well-being over time. Special consideration is given to unique parenting and sociocultural factors in Black families that may reflect coregulatory processes. Advancing research on the links between racism and coregulation could further our understanding of adaptive approaches to coregulation in Black families, with potential implications for culturally-informed family intervention and the promotion of well-being in Black youth.