Racialized harm in the child welfare system: expanding the mental health paradox framework toward structural accountability

A recent study advances the child welfare literature by examining mental health outcomes for young adults formerly involved with child protective services (CPS), disaggregated by race/ethnicity. CPS involvement raised depression risk for Black and Hispanic/Latino young adults but not White peers, while CPS-involved Black adolescents reported anxiety far less often than White peers, echoing the “mental health paradox.” This article argues that labeling the disparity a paradox naturalizes structural violence. Drawing on critical race theory, the weathering hypothesis, and concerns about collider bias, I recast these findings as expected outcomes of racialized institutionalization and urge research toward mechanisms.