The Impact of Different Forms of Discrimination on Adolescent Well-Being

1. Introduction

1.1. Definition of discrimination

1.2. Discuss why adolescence is such a vulnerable time of development and how discrimination impacts that

1.3. Discuss prior research showing how discrimination can lead to poor well-being in terms of physical and mental health

1.4. Thesis Statement: Facing discrimination during adolescence can lead to mental and physical disorders that impact children throughout their lifespan.

1.5. Why is this problem important?

1.5.1. Adolescents spend a large part of their time at school where they risk high exposure to discriminatory treatment by peers and educators. If the child does not feel supported or internalizes/externalizes these events, it can have a lasting impact on their lives.

1.5.2. If discrimination is allowed to continue without any sort of intervention, we will be raising generations of uncivilized, uneducated, and unempathetic people.

2. Prevalence

2.1. Statistics showing how many adolescents perceive some type of discrimination by peers and by adults

2.2. Statistics showing how many adolescents have mental or other health disorders related to discrimination they have faced (anxiety disorder, eating disorder, etc.)

3. Scope

3.1. Race/Ethnicity

3.1.1. Native/Immigrant Status

3.2. Gender

3.3. Weight

3.4. Religion

3.5. Sexual Orientation

3.6. Socioeconomic Status

3.7. Disability

3.8. Studies that discuss each form of discrimination listed and the categories that fall within them (ex: for race, look at Mexican Americans & African Americans, for gender look at males, females, transgender people, etc)

3.9. Possibly discuss discrimination in other countries to show how wide spread this issue is

4. Causes

4.1. Lack of education

4.2. Social norms determining what is acceptable for the current period in which we live and people's need to conform to those norms

4.3. Bigotry & lack of empathy

5. Controversies

5.1. Difference in beliefs causing conflict (ex: if Christian students have parents who refuse to let children be educated about LGBTQ community

5.2. Research being hard to conduct because the nature of the topic is so sensitive

5.3. Research that is being done is self-reported and is perceived so it is hard to get a solid base of "what defines discrimination" for research purposes

6. Preventative Measures

6.1. Schools

6.1.1. Anti-bullying campaigns

6.1.2. Talks regarding inclusivity and open-mindedness

7. Potential Solutions

7.1. Create curriculum that teaches about discrimination and inclusivity

7.2. Create programs and activities that foster positive school climate and relationships

7.3. Possibly having student lead discussions on how they would like to be addressed in regards to their identities

8. Conclusions

8.1. Discuss how this is an understudied topic in terms of how to solve/reduce discrimination

8.2. Discuss need for more research on what acts as buffers to the effects discrimination has on well-being so that more of those can be implemented in schools

9. Trends

9.1. Articles showing how discriminatory practices have decreased or increased over time or how they have shifted

9.2. Discuss intersectionality and how often times people face discrimination for more than just one of these reasons