Abstract
Historical representations are central to individuals’ psychological functioning. Empirical advances have demonstrated the link between historical memories and psychological distress. However, research on historical representations and their impact on the psychological functioning of the African people is limited. This study examined the relationship between internalised historical representations (e.g. colonialism and slavery) and psychological distress among Africans, and the mediational role of the perception of discrimination in this relationship. We hypothesised that historical representations relate to psychological distress and that the perception of discrimination mediates this effect. Consistent with our prediction, historical representations were associated with increased psychological distress. In part, the perception of ethnic discrimination explains the relationship between historical representations and psychological distress. This report highlights the effects of historical representations and ethnic discrimination on the psychological distress of Africans living in Europe.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1422-1427 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Community Mental Health Journal |
| Volume | 59 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 13 Mar 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 13 Mar 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We would like to thank Dr Andrew Moynihan of the University of Limerick for his intellectual guidance and support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Keywords
- Africans
- Discrimination
- Historical representations
- Psychological distress
