Coping Strategies as Moderators of the Relationship Between Race-and Gender-Based Discrimination and Psychological Symptoms for African American Women

Abstract

The present study tested the moderating effect of culture-specific coping strategies to understand the relationships between race- and gender-based discrimination and psychological symptoms for African American women. Previous literature suggests that African American women experience adverse psychological outcomes related to race and gender discrimination. Therefore, it was hypothesized that coping strategies would influence the severity of discrimination-related psychological consequences, such that frequent use of coping efforts would be related to less severe psychological symptoms. Moderated structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypothesis. Results revealed that race and gender discrimination were associated with increased psychological symptoms. No moderating effect of coping strategies was found. Implications for future research are discussed.

Keywords

racism sexism African American women coping mental health

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aiken, L.S. , & West, S.G. ( 1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Clark, R. , Anderson, N.B. , Clark, V.R. , & Williams, D.R. (1999). Racism as a stressor for African Americans: A biopsychosocial model. American Psychologist , 54, 805-816.

Collins, P. ( 2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment (2nd ed). New York, NY: Routledge.

DeBlaere, C. , & Moradi, B. ( 2008). Structures of the schedules of racist and sexist events: Confirmatory factor analyses of African American women’s responses. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32, 83-94.

Derogatis, L.R. , Lipman, R.S. , Rickels, K. , Ulenhuth, E. , & Covi, L. ( 1974). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): A self-report symptom inventory. Behavioral Science, 19, 1-15.

Hu, L. , & Bentler, P.M. ( 1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indices in covariance structure analysis. Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1-55.

Jones, C. , & Shorter-Gooden, K. (2003). Shifting: The double lives of Black women in America. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Jones, J.M. ( 1997). Prejudice and racism (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Jöreskog, K. , Sörbom, D. , Du Toit, S. , & Du Toit, M. (2001). LISREL 8: New statistical features. Lincolnwood, IL: Scientific Software International.

10.

Jöreskog, K. , & Yang, F. ( 1996). Nonlinear structural equation models: The Kenny-Judd model with interaction effects. In G. A. Marchoulides & R. E. Schumaker (Eds.), Advanced structural modeling: Issues and techniques (pp. 57-89). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

11.

Klonoff, E.A. , & Landrine, H. ( 1995). The schedule of sexist events: A measure of lifetime and recent sexist discrimination in women’s lives. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 439-472.

12.

Landrine, H. , & Klonoff, E.A. ( 1996). A measure of racial discrimination and a study of its negative physical and mental health consequences. Journal of Black Psychology, 22, 144-168.

13.

Moradi, B. , & Subich, L.M. ( 2003). A concomitant examination of the relations of perceived racist and sexist events to psychological distress for African American women. Counseling Psychologist, 32, 451-469.

14.

Nasim, A. , Belgrave, F.Z. , Jagers, R.J. , Wilson, K.D. , & Owens, K. ( 2007). The moderating effects of culture on peer deviance and alcohol use among high-risk African American adolescents. Journal of Drug Education, 37, 335-363.

15.

Reid, P.T. , & Comaz-Diaz, L. (1990). Gender and ethnicity: Perspectives on dual status. Sex Roles, 22, 397-408.

16.

Sheskin, D.J. ( 2004). Handbook of parametric and nonparametric procedures (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: Chapman & Hall.

17.

Shorter-Gooden, K. ( 2004). Multiple resistance strategies: How African American women cope with racism and sexism. Journal of Black Psychology , 30, 406-425.

18.

Thomas, A.J. , Witherspoon, K.M. , & Speight, S.L. ( 2008). Gendered racism, psychological distress, and coping styles of African American women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14, 307-314.

19.

Utsey, S.O. , Adams, E.P. , & Bolden, M.A. ( 2000). Development and initial validation of the Africultural Coping Systems Inventory. Journal of Black Psychology, 6, 194-215.