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

Anita Jones Thomas, Karen McCurtis Witherspoon, Suzette L. Speight

2008-10-01articleCultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology348 citationsclosed

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Racial and Ethnic Identity Research Counseling Practices and Supervision Gender, Health, and Social Inequality

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.

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