Structural Racism: Impact on the Mental Health of the Black Brazilian Population

Abstract

This article is the result of a study on structural racism and the mental health of the Black Brazilian population, with racism being a structural element of oppression in Brazil. It is based on exploratory bibliographic research with a qualitative approach. It is supported by the critical dialectical method, using the method's categories: totality; mediation; and contradiction, and the analysis was constructed based on content analysis. The main aspects observed show that structural racism impacts the mental health of the Black Brazilian population in multiple ways, restricting access to and/or permanence in education, health, work/income policies, as well as in the perspective of belonging and affective relationships. Furthermore, according to the Brazilian Public Security Forum (2022), homicide rates are high and the Black population is the main victim; this occurs because racism is, above all, structural. In view of this, Brazil needs more studies on the Black population to contribute to the construction of public policies and ensure their effective implementation.