Assessing the Effects of Racial Microaggression and Structural Inequality on overall Well-Being and Psychopathology among BIPOC Adolescents (2023)

Undergraduate: Kayla Brown

Faculty Advisor: Margaret Sheridan
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Racism impacts the lives of Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) youth. The present study seeks to address gaps within the literature about the detrimental effects that two forms of racial injustice can have on overall well-being and psychopathology in BIPOC adolescents: microaggressions and structural inequality. While assessing the effects of racial microaggressions and structural inequality, we used peer experiences as a moderator to test whether peer relations served as a protective factor against poor outcomes. BIPOC participants (N = 96) with the majority identifying as black (62.5 %) and female (53%) were given the measures to assess for overall well-being, racial microaggression, peer experiences and psychopathology. Further, we used the Child Opportunity Index to obtain measures of participant’s experienced structural inequality. Consistent with other studies, racial microaggressions predicted psychopathology and overall well-being. Structural inequality, contrastingly, did not predict psychopathology and well being. The interaction between racial microaggression and receiving prosocial behaviors was significant, b = -.057 p = .05, t(94) = 1.99 in predicting psychopathology. Similarly, in follow up analyses, the interaction between structural inequality and receiving prosocial behavior in predicting psychopathology was also significant, b =- 0.21, t(94) = 2.18, p = .03. Results suggest that receiving prosocial behavior may protect BIPOC youth from the detrimental effects of microaggressions and inequality.

Keywords: Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), Peer Experiences, Racial Microaggression, Structural Inequality, Well-Being

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