Open AccessVicarious Experiences of Major Discrimination and Psychological Distress among Black Men and Women
Author(s) -
Myles D. Moody,
Courtney S. Thomas Tobin,
Christy L. Erving
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
society and mental health/society and mental health.
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 2156-8731
pISSN - 2156-8693
DOI - 10.1177/21568693221116631
Subject(s) - psychology , mental health , racism , psychological intervention , distress , stressor , context (archaeology) , psychological distress , clinical psychology , psychiatry , gender studies , paleontology , sociology , biology
Racism-related stress frameworks posit that the discriminatory experiences of one's loved ones may threaten one's well-being, but relatively few studies have examined how they may impact mental health beyond childhood and adolescence. Using data from the Nashville Stress and Health Study ( N = 1,252), the present study assessed the prevalence of vicarious experiences of discrimination among subsamples of Black men ( n = 297) and women ( n = 330), examined the association between vicarious experiences of discrimination and psychological distress among Black men and women, and evaluated the impact of vicarious discrimination on psychological distress in the context of other stressors. Results suggest that Black women report more vicarious exposure to specific types of discrimination. Furthermore, vicariously experienced discrimination was associated with higher levels of psychological distress among Black women, but not among Black men. Our findings extend the literature on racism-related stress and offer new insights for interventions aimed at reducing racial disparities in mental health.