Examining Racial Discrimination’s Association With Depressive Symptoms Through Metadehumanization Among African Americans: Does Racial Identity Matter?

Abstract

Though considerable empirical work has documented the ways in which African Americans are dehumanized by other racial groups, there is no research examining how perceiving dehumanization (i.e., metadehumanization) is associated with the mental health of African Americans. In this study, we examined the indirect effect of racial discrimination on depressive symptoms through metadehumanization and explored whether this indirect effect was contingent on racial identity (i.e., centrality, private regard). African American students completed measures in a university lab located in the Midwestern region of the United States ( N = 326; Mage = 19.7, 72.4% women). We found that the degree to which racial discrimination was indirectly associated with depressive symptoms through metadehumanization was contingent on racial identity dimensions. Specifically, the indirect effect of racial discrimination on depressive symptoms through metadehumanization was only significant for individuals who were relatively higher on centrality and private regard. This research suggests that the role of metadehumanization is stronger among African Americans who strongly identify with and have positive views of their racial group. We discuss these results in the context of social cognitive theories.

Introduction to the Special Issue of Group Processes & Intergroup Relations Less than Human: What People who are Dehumanized Think, Feel, and Do

“…Broadly speaking, metadehumanization feelings, when they are caused by a social perpetrator (individual or group), often emerge as a consequence of the targets’ perception of being maltreated by others. For instance, metadehumanization has been shown to occur as a consequence of ostracism (Bastian & Haslam, 2010, 2011), harassment (Moor et al, 2013), abusive practices and leadership (Caesens et al, 2019; Sainz & Baldissarri, 2021; Sainz, Delgao et al, 2021), and racial discrimination (Mekawi & Watson-Singleton, 2021).…”

Backfire effects of performance quantification on stress and disidentification: The role of metadehumanization in organizations, sport, and social networks

“…Metadehumanization often arises as a consequence of the perceived (mal)treatment one receives from another person or another group. For instance, metadehumanization has been shown to follow instances of ostracism (Bastian & Haslam, 2010), harassment (Moor et al., 2013), abusive practices (Caesens et al., 2019), interpersonal objectification (Chevallereau et al., 2021), or racial discrimination (Mekawi & Watson‐Singleton, 2021). Metadehumanization has also been evidenced as a consequence of the physical environment in which people operate.…”

How well does the Index of Race-Related Stress-brief function in a trauma-exposed Black community sample? An item response theory examination of discrimination and difficulty parameters.

“…Furthermore, for Black Americans, race-related stress is associated with additional health outcomes over and above general stress, such as higher diastolic blood pressure (Lepore et al, 2006). In cross-sectional and prospective studies, race-related stress is also linked to more severe symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD among Black Americans (Mekawi & Watson-Singleton, 2021; Mekawi, Carter, et al, 2021; Sibrava et al, 2019). Thus, precise assessment of Black Americans’ experiences of stress related to multiple levels of racism is imperative to ensure validity and reliability of empirical findings regarding race-related stress (Neblett, 2019).…”