Abstract

Background Experience of racism is considered a predictor of ill health and poor well-being at all ages. Few studies examining the relationship between racism, mental health and self-harm are longitudinal. The aim of this study was to examine these associations longitudinally among youth in England. Methods The data were obtained from the Next Steps Longitudinal Study on participants born in 1989–1990 in England. Waves 4 (2007) and 8 (2015) were used to measure associations between experiencing racism at age 17 and mental health outcomes at age 25. Logistic regression analyses were conducted. Multiple imputation was used to address missing data. Findings Compared with those who did not experience racism, participants who experienced racism at 17 years scored 0.58 (95% CI 0.16 to 1.00) points higher in psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12) at age 25. No clear associations were found for overall life satisfaction (OR 1.06, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.34, p=0.597), self-harm (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.40 to 1.56, p=0.494) or longstanding mental illness (OR 1.31, 95% CI 0.80 to 2.13, p=0.280). Conclusion Exposure to racism at youth increased the risk of psychological distress, but not life satisfaction, self-harm or longstanding mental illnesses for young adults in England. Ongoing and future longitudinal studies exploring racism and mental health should incorporate electronic health records and validated measures of racism to better understand its effects on mental health across the life course.