Impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students’ mental health and wellbeing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study

Introduction Black school students in the United Kingdom (UK) are exposed to racialized personal, institutional and systemic factors (e.g. racism and misogyny) that may impact their mental wellbeing and educational experiences. Minimal research exists to understand how racism and other adverse child...

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Main Authors: Nkasi Stoll, Sunehna Kayn, Heidi Lempp, Stephani Hatch
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2507754
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author Nkasi Stoll
Sunehna Kayn
Heidi Lempp
Stephani Hatch
author_facet Nkasi Stoll
Sunehna Kayn
Heidi Lempp
Stephani Hatch
author_sort Nkasi Stoll
collection DOAJ
description Introduction Black school students in the United Kingdom (UK) are exposed to racialized personal, institutional and systemic factors (e.g. racism and misogyny) that may impact their mental wellbeing and educational experiences. Minimal research exists to understand how racism and other adverse childhood experiences interact to shape students’ mental health and wellbeing as they progress through education before commencing university studies, which this study aimed to achieve. Methods Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) interviews (n = 15) were completed with Black UK university students who self-reported having struggled with mental health at school. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results Three main themes were derived from Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), pertaining to the students’ experiences of adverse childhood experiences, racism-related stressors in education, and coping strategies. Discussion The findings add value by offering recommendations for psychologists, educators, and policymakers to address racism and poor mental wellbeing in schools and to improve experiences and outcomes for Black students. Recommendations include self-reflection tools, funding for mental wellbeing interventions and resources, and enhancing professional courses to incorporate anti-racist curricula and practices.
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spelling doaj-art-0287624c3e764e4fb62e94d6cf217c412025-08-20T02:30:05ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being1748-26231748-26312025-12-0120110.1080/17482631.2025.25077542507754Impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students’ mental health and wellbeing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis studyNkasi Stoll0Sunehna Kayn1Heidi Lempp2Stephani Hatch3King’s College LondonUniversity College LondonKing’s College LondonKing’s College LondonIntroduction Black school students in the United Kingdom (UK) are exposed to racialized personal, institutional and systemic factors (e.g. racism and misogyny) that may impact their mental wellbeing and educational experiences. Minimal research exists to understand how racism and other adverse childhood experiences interact to shape students’ mental health and wellbeing as they progress through education before commencing university studies, which this study aimed to achieve. Methods Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) interviews (n = 15) were completed with Black UK university students who self-reported having struggled with mental health at school. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results Three main themes were derived from Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), pertaining to the students’ experiences of adverse childhood experiences, racism-related stressors in education, and coping strategies. Discussion The findings add value by offering recommendations for psychologists, educators, and policymakers to address racism and poor mental wellbeing in schools and to improve experiences and outcomes for Black students. Recommendations include self-reflection tools, funding for mental wellbeing interventions and resources, and enhancing professional courses to incorporate anti-racist curricula and practices.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2507754student mental healthblack studentsnarrative interviewsinterpretative phenomenological analysisrace-based stressadverse childhood experiences
spellingShingle Nkasi Stoll
Sunehna Kayn
Heidi Lempp
Stephani Hatch
Impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students’ mental health and wellbeing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health & Well-Being
student mental health
black students
narrative interviews
interpretative phenomenological analysis
race-based stress
adverse childhood experiences
title Impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students’ mental health and wellbeing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study
title_full Impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students’ mental health and wellbeing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study
title_fullStr Impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students’ mental health and wellbeing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study
title_full_unstemmed Impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students’ mental health and wellbeing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study
title_short Impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students’ mental health and wellbeing: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study
title_sort impact of racial discrimination in education and other adverse childhood experiences on black students mental health and wellbeing an interpretative phenomenological analysis study
topic student mental health
black students
narrative interviews
interpretative phenomenological analysis
race-based stress
adverse childhood experiences
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2025.2507754
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