Closing the Gaps:

Mental Health
Disparities & Mxn
of Color
1.
Behavioral
Health Equity
Cause>Effect>Solution
 Toxic Masculinity

Masculine norms, as
described in Ronald F.
Levant's Masculinity
Reconstructed, are
"avoidance of femininity;
restricted emotions; sex
disconnected from intimacy;
pursuit of achievement and
status; self-reliance; strength
and aggression, and
homophobia."
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 But by far the worst thing we do
“ to males — by making them feel
they have to be hard — is that
we leave them with very fragile
egos. The harder a man feels
compelled to be, the weaker his
ego is.”
-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Understanding Gender & Identity

Identity Gender Role Gender

Ideology Expression
Various identities
play a large role A person's
Refers to the behavior,
in influencing beliefs about mannerisms,
how a man is the proper role interests, and
expected to relationships appearance that
behave and between men are associated with
conduct himself. gender in a
and women in a particular cultural
“Abnormalities” given society context, specifically
Stereotype with the categories
Threat of femininity or 5
Cultural Miscommunication
Cultural Viewpoints Cultural Disconnects
Communities of Color Mental health care
often stigmatize the providers often lack
desire to seek help, cultural competency
thereby continuing to understanding, inhibiting
perpetuate the “stoic the trust from person of
male” stereotype. color due to being unable
to understand issues
pertaining to
race/ethnicity.

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Early Onset of Oppression
◂ Children of color are expelled and
punished at a higher rate than their
white peers, and this trend starts in early
developmental stages, even before
starting grade school.
◂ Leads to development of negative
behavioral patterns very early in life.

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Word Acquisition
◂ Children from families of color are
more likely to have a smaller
vocabulary from white students by
the age of three. This phenomenon
known as ‘word gap’ is what some
cite as a major disadvantage in a
traditional educational setting.

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Solidification of
developed
behavioral patterns
Trouble with emotional
regulation and expression.
Stereotype Threat
Cycle of Negative Behavioral Patterns

01

In ciet a p
so
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ty ga eve rm

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ps

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al ess n o
st g to ior hat

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av s t
s

m
s

o
eo ne
le e b o c e

es u e .
ex t o b
ad eh
r
tiv t p

po
in
er
ga gh

s e in g
Negative Behavioral

r
n e ou

d
e
Th

to
Patterns

03 02

Negative reactions to
abundant social/racial
stressors manifest themselves
into high risk behavioral
tendencies.

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Mental Health & People of Color

Psychological stress increases with poverty.

African Americans 2x and Hispanics 3x more
likely to report psych stress.
From 1980 - 1995, the suicide rate among
African Americans ages 10 to 14 increased
233%, as compared to 120% of Non-
Hispanic Whites
American Indian/Alaska Natives are twice as
likely to experience feelings of nervousness
or restlessness as compared to non-Hispanic
Whites. 11
 Suicide & Location

Chicago

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 The only reason you say
“ that race was not an issue
is because you wish it was
not.”
-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Legislative Solutions to Education
Dilemmas
◂ The U.S. Department of Education has
put policy statements in place
condemning expulsion and suspension
measures during early developmental
learning

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Pedagogy Alteration
◂ Teachers across the US are being trained
to develop cultural competence to
reduce “racial stress” in a classroom
setting
◂ Teachers in different areas are becoming
significantly more considerate of fighting
against the prevalent word gap

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SOCIAL JUSTICE
& ADVOCACY
Y’all are all aiding in the process of making a
difference!

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THANK YOU