Interethnic Group and Intraethnic Group Racism: Perceptions and Coping in Black University Students

Abstract

This study explored perceived racism and the usual ways of coping with these perceptions in a sample of 269 Black university students (53% female). Perceptions of inter-and intragroup racism were assessed with the Life Experiences and Stress scale, and coping was measured with the Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced scale. A principal component analysis suggested that inter-and intragroup racism were separable constructs. Correlation analyses revealed that inter-and intragroup racism were negatively associated with self-deception. Relative to females, t-test analyses indicated that males perceived more inter-and intragroup racism. The t-test analysesalso revealed that females were more likely than males to use emotion-focused and religious coping responses, when negotiating perceptions of inter-and intragroup racism; and, when negotiating perceptions of intragroup racism, males were more likely than females to use alcohol as a coping response. The limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.

(Re)Examining Racial Identity Attitude Differences Across Gender, Community Type, and Socioeconomic Status Among African American College Students

“…Research indicates that the day-to-day life experiences of African American males and females, from childhood through adulthood, differ in terms of experiences with discrimination and prejudice. For example, African American males experience more negative treatment (Chavous, Smalls, Rivas-Drake, Griffin, & Cogburn, 2008;Clark, 2004;Cunningham, 1999;Swanson, Cunningham, & Spencer, 2003) and thus perceive more racism in their environment than do Black females (Clark). Endorsing racial identity attitudes that involve building relationships across racial/ethnic and sexual orientation lines may be difficult for African American males who experience significantly more discrimination and prejudice from people of a variety of cultural backgrounds.…”

Minority-Related Stressors and Coping Processes Among African American College Students

“…In general, both these styles are consistent with previous coping conceptualizations (e.g., Holahan, Moos, & Schaefer, 1996). Other researchers have created similar composite variables with COPE subscales in studies with African Americans (e.g., Clark, 2004;Mosher, Prelow, Chen, & Yackel, 2006) and therefore this appears to be a common method of using this measure with this population. Cronbach's reliabilities for subscales reflecting the approach and avoidance factors were .88 and .76, respectively.…”

Intergroup and Within-Group Perceived Discrimination Among U.S.-Born and Foreign-Born Latino Youth

“…How these experiences emanate from both interethnic group and within-ethnic group processes is also of interest to researchers (Clark, 2004). Discriminatory practices against Latinos are a serious public health concern as such experiences are correlated with health and mental health consequences (Williams, Neighbors, & Jackson, 2003).…”