Racial Microaggressions and Latinxs' Well-Being: A Systematic Review

Background and Purpose: As a form of racism that is both subtle and ubiquitous, racial microaggressions (RMAs) can have cumulatively deleterious physical and emotional effects on people of a specific race or ethnicity. While a significant body of knowledge about RMAs has been developed from a Black-White perspective, this study was undertaken to explore extant empirical research that specifically addresses the physical and emotional effects of racism and RMAs on people who are Latinx-American.In conjunction with the aforementioned dimension of American-ness (Dovidio et al., 2010;
Trujillo, 2012), the perceived “immigrant status” of Latinx individuals might also be growing into
a racialized political phenomenon, thus increasing the occurrence of unique RMAs aimed at the Latinx
population.

Methods: Through the implementation of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, we systematically searched multiple databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, Social Services Abstract, and CINAHL) to identify studies that specifically focused on Latinxs’ well-being in response to RMA. The researchers conducted a search using keywords such as racial microaggressions, ethnic microaggressions, Hispanic, Latinx, Latino, Latina, people of color, minorities, mental health, self-esteem, well-being, and health. The inclusion criteria were: (a) empirically studied the impact of RMAs; (b) looked at the well-being outcomes, including both mental health and health; (c) included Latinx individuals (both Latinx American and Latinx immigrants); (d) conducted in the US or Canada; (e) written in English language; (f) and was published between 1998 and 2018.

Results: Following a systematic search and screening process, nine studies met all of the study’s inclusion criteria. Researchers reviewed studies for content, methods, effect sizes, and risk of bias. Strengths and shortcomings of the existing studies were identified, followed by suggestions for future research. All nine studies that met criteria for inclusion in the study found RMAs to have varying degrees of significant negative impact on outcomes related to the well-being (mental health, physical health, or quality of sleep) of Latinxs’ people in the US. This is compelling because multiple dimensions of well-being appear to be negatively impacted by the experience(s) and perception(s) of RMA among
a diversity of Latinx populations across the nation.

Conclusions and Implications: it presents a first review of US studies that have examined the impact of RMAs on the physical and emotional well-being of Latinx Americans. While RMAs are an unfortunately ubiquitous phenomenon, preliminary evidence supports the conclusion that they carry profoundly negative outcomes for people affected by them and that different racial groups experience different versions of RMAs in ways that are unique. More research is needed to further understand the extent to which this social and public health issue affects members of minority populations in the US and to determine strategies at the levels of policy and practice that will lead to better physical and mental well-being among members of diverse communities.