These composite stressors are resulting in increasing rates of mental health morbidity, such as depression, suicidality, stress-related disorders, school disciplinary actions, incarceration, and placement in state custody. These populations face higher rates of psychosocial disparities such as poverty, lack of education, barriers to health and mental health services, and exposure to multiple stressors such as discrimination, racism, community violence exposure, and immigration and acculturation stresses. As of 2020, the majority of children and youth in the USA are from these minority, non-European backgrounds (this will be the case for the overall population by 2045). This has been both a result of demographic changes (aging of the non-Hispanic White/European origin populations) greater growth of African American, Latinx, Asian origin, and American Indian populations and significant immigration from Latin America, Southeast and East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The USA has undergone a major increase of non-European populations over the past 50 years. Recognizing and understanding the impact of trauma is critical to the healthy development and successful functioning of minority youth, and to the success of our nation. These disparities are resulting in increasing rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, substance use disorders, and suicide in minority youth. Despite the higher incidence of trauma exposure, minority youth are less likely to access medical and mental health care. The COVID-19 pandemic has also disproportionately affected minority youth resulting in illness and hospitalizations. These experiences include historical/generational trauma, immigration and acculturation stressors, natural and manmade disasters, experiences of discrimination, family violence, and community violence. Research reveals that traumatic experiences disproportionately affect minority youth. The USA has an increasing number of children and youth from minority backgrounds.

This paper reviews the literature on the prevalence, risk factors, and effects of traumatic experiences on the mental health outcomes of minority youth in the USA.

Intergenerational trauma refugee