How UofL’s COLOR Lab Is Examining Racism’s Mental Health Effects and Possible Healing Approaches for Black Communities with New NIMH Grant

Nov. 27, 2024

By Stephanie Godward, Communications and Marketing Director, College of Arts & Sciences

A new National Institute of Mental Health grant awarded to the Challenging Ongoing Legacies of Racism (COLOR) Lab in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences is opening more opportunities for community-engaged, undergraduate research examining the mental health impacts of racism.

“Research on the mental health effects of racism is important both locally, specific to the Louisville population, and nationally,” said India McCray, ’23, Psychology, who contributed to research in the lab as an undergraduate beginning in 2022. “Being a Black woman from Louisville, I have a personal connection to this kind of research, seeing and experiencing the effects of racism. This research helps us understand the trauma and barriers associated with racism and how that can lead to informing policies, creating awareness and advocacy, and improving resilience.”

McCray is now a first-year clinical psychology doctoral student on the adult track at the University of Miami.

Because racism happens frequently and from multiple sources, there is often a need for Black and indigenous people of color (BIPOC) to be vigilant about racism in their environments. Even though this vigilance can be protective and keep them safe, it can also have harmful health impacts.

The first goal of this grant is to understand whether racism impacts how Black Americans attend to threat cues in their environments.

“This can give us one clue in understanding the ‘how’ part of the racism-health link, which then can inform effective intervention programs or healing approaches,” states Yara Mekawi, Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Director of the COLOR Lab.

The study will explore the link between race-related stress and attention bias to threat in Black Americans, which is crucial for understanding mental health disparities. In addition, the study will examine mindfulness, particularly culturally informed mindfulness interventions, how it might help reduce attention bias to threat, and why it's important to tailor interventions to Black communities. Thirdly, the study will use innovative eye-tracking methods to measure attention bias to threat.

“There have been decades of research building on the works of Black scholars, like Drs. Rodney Clark, David Williams, and Shelly Harrell, finding that racism is associated with worse mental health for all BIPOC and especially Black Americans,” Mekawi said. “What we know less about is how racism is linked to those negative outcomes like anxiety, PTSD, and depression.”

Eye-tracking uses a camera that tracks every detail of a person’s eye movements. The idea is that eye movements are a proxy for what someone is paying attention to, and what they are paying attention to informs their subsequent thoughts and emotions. If racism impacts attention, it could impact a person’s thoughts and emotions, and ultimately, their mental health symptoms.

Together, the lab’s three aims can help clinicians figure out how to best help Black clients cope with racism, while society ideally works to stop that racism from occurring in the first place.

Malyah Spencer double majored in psychology (BS) and sociology (BS) with a minor in social change, graduating in May 2024. Spencer’s first job was a counselor position at Job Corps. She is now preparing to begin a new position as a Senior Research Interviewer at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

“Psychological research on the effects of racism on Black Americans continues to be a major piece to the bigger-picture puzzle of finding justice and liberation for the Black community,” Spencer states. “All over the nation, and especially in the city of Louisville, Black communities have had to face the insurmountable burden of not only everyday racism, but also the targeted violence and oppression from the criminal justice system. When generations of a people are forced to survive an inequitable and furthermore cruel society, the impacts on psychological health and mental wellbeing must be studied and addressed.”

Spencer’s experience in the COLOR Lab helped her to form her own research interests and future career goals.

“Having access to the different phases of the clinical research process and being able to collaborate hands-on with graduate student mentors, as well as Dr. Mekawi, on various studies, gave me such valuable insights and skills that I would not have gained otherwise,” Spencer said.

The COLOR Lab also works with Stachelle Bussey from the Hope Buss in Louisville as a recruitment consultant who can help the team engage with Black communities in Louisville, and to ensure the study is a meaningful and positive experience for every person who participates.

“This research can foster long-term solutions to the negative effect of racism,” McCray said. “It is essential for steps towards creating a more equitable society and addressing concerns and unique challenges faced by Black individuals, ultimately creating better mental health outcomes and resources.”

For more information about the COLOR Lab, click here.