Gendered racism, psychological distress, and coping styles of African American women.

Abstract

This study explores the relationship of the accumulative effect of gendered racism, the discrimination felt by African American women, on psychological distress. The study also explores whether coping serves as a mediating variable between gendered racism and psychological distress. Over 300 African American women participated in the study and were administered the Symptoms Checklist 90, a revised version of the Schedule of Sexist Events, and the Africultural Coping Styles Inventory. A positive significant relationship between global psychological distress was found with experiences of gendered racism. Regression analyses suggest some degree of partial mediation on the relationship between gendered racism and global psychological distress via cognitive-emotional coping styles, but no mediating effects with spiritual-centered, collective, and ritual-centered coping. Suggestions for future research and implications are discussed.

Coping Strategies as Moderators of the Relation Between Individual Race-Related Stress and Mental Health Symptoms for African American Women

“…This procedure was adopted to assess the use of culture-specific strategies in response to racismrelated experiences. In a study conducted by Thomas et al (2008) to examine culture-specific strategies in response to gendered racism for African American women, the authors reported that they did not request that participants respond to the open-ended question by recalling experiences of gendered racism, a shortcoming they noted. Thus, having participants explicitly recall experiences of racism in the current study served to address this particular limitation.…”

“…Although multiple studies have served to pinpoint the types of strategies used by African American women to cope with race-related incidents (e.g., Krieger, 1990;Thomas, Witherspoon, & Speight, 2008), little information exists regarding the ways in which coping efforts moderate the relationship between race-related stress and psychological symptoms for this population of women. The few studies (e.g., Abrums, 2004) that have considered the influence of coping strategies on race-related mental health effects for this group of women have been qualitative.…”

“…However, the authors interpreted their findings as inconclusive regarding the relationship between individual race-related stress and culture-specific efforts. Thomas et al (2008) also used the ACSI to examine culture-specific efforts as mediators of the relationship between gendered racism and psychological distress for African American women. Cognitive-emotional debriefing partially mediated the relationship between gendered racism and psychological distress; however, no mediation effects were found for collective-coping, spiritual-centered, and ritual-centered efforts.…”

Interaction Between Race and Gender and Effect on Implicit Racial Bias Against Blacks

“…72,73 Men and women differ in using coping styles in their daily lives. 35,78 Overall, men more frequently use confrontational coping, 79 while women have a higher tendency to avoid stressors. 78 Compared to women, men also have a higher tendency in acting out their stress 80 and externalizing their emotions.…”

“…35,78 Overall, men more frequently use confrontational coping, 79 while women have a higher tendency to avoid stressors. 78 Compared to women, men also have a higher tendency in acting out their stress 80 and externalizing their emotions. 81 These findings may explain why implicit bias is higher in White men than White women.…”