Measuring Racist Aggressions on Social Media and the Effects on U.S. College Students of Color: An Instrument Validation

Students of Color, Mental Health, and Racialized Aggressions on Social Media

“…Clinicians should inquire about the impact of the sociopolitical climate on clients' well-being. Clinicians should also consider use of our Racialized Aggressions on Social Media scale (Rowan-Kenyon et al, 2020) to further inform their assessment of racial trauma.…”

“…Research by Smedley et al (1993) identified the unique psychological and sociocultural stresses students of Color experience on campus, and "traumatic stress theory" proposed by Goodman and West-Olatunji (2010) submits that students of Color inhabit spaces in which racial trauma and systemic oppression compose campus experiences. Rowan-Kenyon et al (2016) presented evidence that racial aggressions are part of social media communication.…”

“…The intentionality, and conscious and unanticipated nature of these acts fit the characterization of a traumatic stressful experience (Carlson, 1997). Like other stressful experiences, racial aggression on social media can be experienced as negative, uncontrollable, and unexpected (Rowan-Kenyon et al, 2016). Consequently, like other traumatic stress experiences, racialized aggression on social media could have associated mental health responses (Carlson & Dahlenberg, 2000), and if so, should be considered in the ecosystem of college students' of Color mental health.…”

Does Experiencing Racialized Aggressions on Social Media Influence Perceptions About the Campus Racial Climate?

“…We utilized the Racist Aggressions on Social Media Survey to collect data for this study. We (Rowan-Kenyon et al, 2021 ) developed this instrument by adapting and validating psychosocial metrics and campus experiences scales, and the encounters to broaden and deepen our understanding of the impact of online racist aggressions on students of color. We adapted scales known for their strong psychometric properties, to try to capture interactions with social media.…”

“…Our findings add depth to the understanding of how in-person and social media-based racialized aggressions affect a student’s perceptions of campus diversity climate. While in-person experiences with racism may overshadow racialized aggressions on social media, scholars and practitioners must be cognizant that online environments and experiences affect the outcomes of students of color (McCready et al, 2021 ; Rowan-Kenyon et al, 2021 ), especially as a result of the shift to more online interaction as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional scholarship is needed on the online experiences of students of color, including research that allows students of color to describe how encounters with racialized aggressions on social media influence their perceptions of campus diversity climates.…”