Avoidant Coping In Response To Racial Trauma Promotes Flourishing

Abstract

The past two years has seen significant global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter protests, and the STOP AAPI Hate movement, all of which have contributed to an increase in psychological distress and a need for effective coping in response.Avoidance coping, an emotion-focused coping style that relies on disengagement behaviors typically regarded as maladaptive, may be particularly helpful in mitigating negative mental health outcomes when responding to uncontrollable stressors like race-based discrimination and violence. As social media use during traumatic events and exposure to traumatic content have proven to be associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms and depression, avoidance through lower social media exposure may be a coping factor for decreased psychological distress. The study examined whether avoidance coping via distraction was associated with better mental health outcomes (measured by lower depression and greater flourishing), and if successful avoidance of stressful social media content also contributed to these outcomes when coping in response to experiences of racial discrimination and trauma. Students attending a large public university with a predominately female and ethnic minority population (N=151; Mean age = 23; 72% Latina/o/x or Asian American; 76% Female) completed an online survey, during 2021, that measured coping styles, mental health well-being, and social media use. Multiple regression analyses revealed that avoidance coping was significantly associated with higher flourishing.Bivariate correlations indicated that lower social media exposure to offensive content predicted lower depression scores. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of avoidance coping could be a potentially vital aspect in mitigating psychological distress from racial trauma. vi Preface and/or Acknowledgements I would like to formally thank Dr. Melissa Hagan for imparting wisdom, direction, and support throughout my thesis process. A special thank you to my fellow lab members in the STAR Lab for their time and effort in assisting with the CART study. Lastly, my utmost gratitude for my loved ones who consistently give me a safe place to land. vii Table of ContentsList of Tables .