The Conceptualization of Everyday Racism in Research on the Mental and Physical Health of Ethnic and Racial Groups: a Systematic Review

Background Research on the influence of everyday racism and discrimination on the mental and physical health of ethnic and racial groups is on the rise. Scholars use self-reported experiences of racism and discrimination scales to study the relationship between everyday racism/discrimination and health. Throughout the years, these scales have been tested for psychometric measures, validity, and reliability of the items. However, less attention is paid tohowthe concept of everyday racism and discrimination is defined in the first place. Methods Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic review perusing 106 papers is conducted of studies investigating the relationship of everyday racism/discrimination and the physical and mental health of ethnic and/or racial groups. This review allows to synthesize how everyday racism is conceptualized, interpreted, and operationalized. A meta-analysis was not possible due to the heterogeneity in research designs, methodologies, and populations. Results Following the original conceptualization of everyday racism, results indicate that research pays attention to the repeatability of everyday racism. However, racism was only defined in 7% of the papers and in different ways varying from individual to institutional racism. In 86% of the papers did they measure everyday racism/discrimination through the Everyday Discrimination Scale. This influenced the way in which everyday discrimination was defined taking on a more individual perspective paying less attention to the micro-macro link of everyday racism.

Automated summary

Research on the impact of everyday racism and discrimination on the mental and physical health of ethnic and racial groups has been increasing. Scholars use self-reported experiences of racism and discrimination scales to study this relationship. Despite attention to the psychometric measures, validity, and reliability of the items, less focus has been placed on the initial definition of everyday racism and discrimination. A systematic review of studies investigating this relationship found that while attention is given to the repeatability of everyday racism, actual definitions varied and the Everyday Discrimination Scale was commonly used, influencing the definition of everyday discrimination with a more individual perspective.