Psychosocial Stress
Although instances of overt discrimination are typically recognized as harmful to the well-being of targeted group members, chronic everyday events that are relatively mild and/or ambiguous (e.g., sexist or racist jokes) are often viewed as benign. We argue that these latter experiences are stressful, and as they occur on a chronic basis may result in wear and tear on psychological and physiological systems (termed allostatic overload), thereby rendering group members vulnerable to stress-related pathology. A series of studies is being conducted in collaboration with Kim Matheson to examine the relations between discrimination experiences and neurochemical disturbances and psychological symptomatology among visible minority groups. In particular, we have been assessing stressors in a variety of related situations including, women in abusive dating relations, stigma associated with mental illness and obesity, trauma and sociatization (e.g., among Somali refugees), the trauma experienced by First Nations people, to name a few.
A considerable portion of our research assesses to what extent the effects of psychosocial stressors and those encountered during early life interact with specific gene alterations (polymorphisms). For instance, do stressful experiences have particularly pronounced effects in the presence of particular gene mutations (e.g., related to serotonin, oxytocin and neurotrophic factors), thereby increasing the emergence of depression and anxiety in adulthood.