Vigilance regarding the threat of discrimination and the anticipation of future occurrences of discrimination could be as predictive of the adverse health impact as the actual effects of past discriminatory experiences. The negative physiological effects of exposure to stressors are often triggered by the initial perception of threat which can occur long before the actual exposure to the stressor. Several researchers have emphasized that anticipatory coping and anxiety, heightened vigilance, and intrusive thoughts or images can play an important role in determining the negative effects of stressors on health (Yehuda et al. 2005; Pearlin et al. 2005; Carter 2007; Baum et al. 1993; Dougall et al. 1999). This may be especially important for the stress linked to racial discrimination because one’s racial status is a characteristic that a respondent can do little about. Carter (2007) uses the term “cultural paranoia” to refer to a high level of vigilance that many minority group members maintain.
