Project Title
Reducing Mental Illness Stigma in Black Communities in the Greater Toronto Area
Project Leads
Objectives
The overall aim of this study is to promote the mental health and reduce mental stigma in Black Families and Communities. Specifically, the study seeks to achieve the following objectives: (1) To identify and examine the sociocultural and structural factors that (re)produce and/or challenge community silence and stigma of mental illness in Black Families and Communities; (2) To interrogate the role of racism and discrimination in perpetuating community silence and stigma of mental illness in Black Families and Communities; (3) To assess the mental health literacy in Black Families and Communities and identify facilitators that promote mental health at individual, family, and community levels; and (4) To engage stakeholders in Black Communities in co-designing a best practices model to inform inclusive policy and culturally safe mental health programming.
Research questions
(1) What contributes to community silence on mental health and mental illness stigma in Black Families and Communities in Canada? (2) How does anti-Black racism intersect with stigma to perpetuate community silence? (3) How does community silence affect help-seeking in Black Families and Communities? (4) What are effective strategies to break community silence and advance mental health equity in Black Families and Communities?
Background
The legacies of colonialism, slavery, and White supremacy connected with anti-Black racism have (re)produced intergenerational traumas that negatively affect the mental health of Black Canadians. These systemic barriers and discrimination (re)produce social and economic marginalization that compromise the psychosocial wellbeing of Black families and communities and put them at increased risk of mental illness. However, many face a ‘double edge problem’ — a fear of the existing systemic racism and discrimination coupled with the persistent stigma associated with mental illnesses at all levels of society. Few studies have examined how anti-Black racism and mental illness stigma interact to (re)produce mental health disparities in Black Families and Communities. This study will engage Black community members and stakeholders to generate new knowledge to address this gap.
Methods
The study will use a mixed method approach guided by a population health promotion framework underpinned by social justice principles. We will also apply critical race theory and an intersectionality framework to interrogate how anti-Black racism operates to produce and perpetuate mental illness stigma and mental health disparities in Black Families and Communities. This study will engage members of Black communities in three phases: (1) surveys (n=300); (2) focus group (n=56); and (3) concept mappingwith community stakeholder (n=30) to co-create a best practices model to guide inclusive policy and practice.
Current Status
Preparing for research ethics approval
Expected completion
July 2025
Co-researchers & Partners
Community engagement in progress
Funding
TMU Postdoctoral Fellowships for Black Scholars and DCSN Research Chair in Urban Health
Key words
anti-Black Racism, mental illness stigma, discrimination, Black families and communities, mental health literacy, Ontario, Canada