Development and Validation of the Ableist Microaggressions Scale

Conover, Kristin J.; Israel, Tania; Nylund‐Gibson, Karen

doi:10.1177/0011000017715317

Cited by 44 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…study (M ϭ 1.96, SD ϭ 1.18; Conover et al, 2017). Ableist microaggressions, therefore, do not appear to be more prevalent in sexual minority communities than in general populations.…”

Section: Main Findingsmentioning

confidence: 79%

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Microaggressions and social support among sexual minorities with physical disabilities.

Conover

Israel

2019

Rehabilitation Psychology

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Purpose: Prejudice and discrimination have been associated with mental and physical health disparities among people with disabilities (Emerson, 2010) and sexual minorities (American Psychological Association [APA], 2012b). Subtle everyday communications of prejudice, known as microaggressions, are one form of oppressive experience that contribute to minority stress among these groups. As sexual minority people with disabilities (SMPWDs) embody at least two marginalized statuses, they may face unique levels of risk. While social support has been posited to buffer against the negative effects of minority stress (Meyer, 2003), the relationship between microaggressions and perceived social support is currently unknown. This study is among the first to explore the relationship between microaggressions and social support in a multiply marginalized community. Research Method: One-hundred and 92 sexual minority (i.e., bisexual, gay, lesbian, pansexual, queer, questioning, same-sex/gender attracted) participants with physical disabilities completed measures related to microaggressions, social support, and mental health via an online survey. Results: Results suggest that for SMPWDs, greater ableist microaggressions within sexual minority communities were associated with lower satisfaction with LGBTQ social supports. In addition, ableist and homonegative microaggressions within sexual minority and disability communities, respectively, were related to greater depressive symptoms. Social support was not found to moderate the relationship between microaggressions and mental health. Implications: Implications for practice, training, advocacy, and future research are discussed, such as raising critical consciousness about microaggressions and mental health, using an intersectional framework when working with SMPWDs, engaging in inclusive advocacy toward policy change, and future studies on microaggressions and social support using diverse samples. Impact and ImplicationsThis study is among the first to examine the relationship between microaggressions and social support. The results of this study highlight interpersonal barriers to supportive relationships for SMPWDs within sexual minority communities, and emphasize the need for increased advocacy toward full inclusion of SMPWDs within sexual minority and disability communities. Providers are encouraged to take a nonpathologizing stance with SMPWDs by focusing on raising critical consciousness about microaggressions and their relationship with mental health. Within-group differences, such as based on disability severity, should also be considered in treatment. Use of an intersectional framework is important when working with SMPWDs, and providers should explore experiences within various communities when assessing social support. Providers should use their expertise to intervene at a broader level to influence how SMPWDs are perceived and treated. Providers are encouraged to increase awareness of their own biases, take risks to address microaggressions, and advocate at the insti...

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“…study (M ϭ 1.96, SD ϭ 1.18; Conover et al, 2017). Ableist microaggressions, therefore, do not appear to be more prevalent in sexual minority communities than in general populations.…”

Section: Main Findingsmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Ableist Microaggressions Scale. The Ableist Microaggressions Scale (AMS; Conover et al, 2017) is a 20-item self-report measure of people with physical disabilities' lifetime experiences with disability-related microaggressions. The AMS includes four subscales: helplessness, denial of personhood, otherization, and minimization.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microaggressions and social support among sexual minorities with physical disabilities.

Conover

Israel

2019

Rehabilitation Psychology

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“…The researchers identified microaggressions in eight domains: denial of identity, denial of privacy, helplessness, secondary gain, spread effect, patronization, second-class citizenship, and desexualization (Keller & Galgay, 2010). In a study of people with physical disabilities, Conover et al (2017) validated the disability microaggressions in seven of eight domains (all except denial of privacy) described by Keller and Galgay (2010); 99% of the 833 participants experienced at least one disability microaggression (Conover et al, 2017).…”

Section: Disability Microaggressionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microaggressions Experienced by LGBTQ Students With Disabilities

Miller

Smith

2020

Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice

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While research on microaggressions has exploded, most scholarship explores singular dimensions of identity, including race, gender, or sexual orientation. To date, little work has considered the experiences of LGBTQ students with disabilities. We compared microaggressions reported by 25 LGBTQ students with disabilities to existing taxonomies, revealing 126 disability microaggressions and 53 LGBTQ microaggressions. Microaggressions not corresponding to taxonomies were grouped into eight categories. Participants noted identity management issues that influenced their experience of microaggressions. Microaggressions are "everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership" (Sue, 2010, p. 3). Research on and awareness of microaggressions has expanded in recent years (Nadal, 2019), particularly around microaggressions related to racial/ethnic identities (e.g.,

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“…Finally, microinvalidations include acts that nullify or minimize the experiences of prejudice or discrimination that members of marginalized groups encounter. While this framework was originally formed to describe racial microaggressions, similar types of microaggressions related to sexual orientation, gender, ability status, and other aspects of identity have also been documented (Conover et al, 2017;Lui & Quezada, 2019;Sue, 2010). Notably, experiences of microaggressions have been positively associated with poor mental health outcomes, such as depressive symptoms and negative affect (Lui & Quezada, 2019;Nadal et al, 2014Nadal et al, , 2016.…”

Section: Microaggressions: Concepts and Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Religious microaggressions in psychotherapy: A mixed methods examination of client perspectives.

Trusty¹,

Swift²,

Black³

et al. 2022

Psychotherapy

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Ethical guidelines state that psychologists should consider clients' religion in their practice. However, some clients have reported negative experiences regarding clinicians' treatment of religion in psychotherapy. These experiences may constitute microaggressions, which have been negatively associated with the working alliance and treatment outcomes among clients with various identities (e.g., those of marginalized racial groups or sexual orientations). The present study used mixed methods to examine religious microaggressions among current and former psychotherapy clients identifying as religious (N = 396). Approximately 39% of participants indicated that at least one religious microaggression occurred during treatment; the most common was minimization or avoidance of religious issues. Religious microaggressions were negatively associated with the working alliance and outcomes. Additionally, the working alliance fully mediated the association between religious microaggressions and poorer outcomes. Thematic analysis of qualitative descriptions of religious microaggressions yielded seven themes: minimization/avoidance of religious issues, assumptions of religious homogeneity, pathologizing religion, unhelpful/inappropriate interventions, pressure to embrace religion, prioritization of therapist's religious beliefs, and lack of expertise. Limitations include a retrospective, cross-sectional design and a majority White, female, and Christian sample. These results provide initial evidence that a substantial minority of religious clients may experience religious microaggressions in psychotherapy, which could impede treatment progress via negative effects on the working alliance. As such, clinicians may be able to enhance client outcomes by increasing awareness of religious microaggressions in their work and addressing microaggression-related alliance ruptures openly when they do occur. Implications for training are also discussed. Clinical Impact StatementQuestion: What is the prevalence and nature of religious microaggressions in psychotherapy, and what effects do religious microaggressions have on the working alliance and treatment outcomes? Findings: Slightly over one third of religious clients reported experiencing religious microaggressions in treatment (e.g., minimization of the importance of religious issues), and these were negatively associated with treatment outcomes via the working alliance. Meaning: Religious microaggressions may weaken the working alliance, which could result in poorer treatment outcomes for a substantial minority of religious clients. Next Steps: Longitudinal research with diverse client samples is needed to further clarify the effects of religious microaggressions and to test effective ways to repair microaggression-related alliance ruptures.

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Development and Validation of the Ableist Microaggressions Scale

Cited by 44 publications

References 61 publications

Microaggressions and social support among sexual minorities with physical disabilities.

Microaggressions and social support among sexual minorities with physical disabilities.

Microaggressions Experienced by LGBTQ Students With Disabilities

Religious microaggressions in psychotherapy: A mixed methods examination of client perspectives.

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