Racism and Sexism as Correlates of African American Women’s Psychological Distress

Abstract

Historically, researchers have neglected the lives of African American women, and very little research has looked specifically at concurrent examinations of multiple oppressions associated with multiple minority identities as predictors of mental health. The current study aimed to increase our knowledge about African American women by examining the relations between external and internalized racism and sexism and African American women's psychological distress. One hundred sixty participants were recruited through a number of United States' organizations via the internet. Results indicated that when external and internalized oppression based on race and gender were examined concomitantly, only sexist events emerged as a positive predictor of distress.

“What I wanted to do was…” Discrepancies Between College Women’s Desired and Reported Responses to Gender Prejudice

“…For example, when facing prejudice experiences, women of color likely consider the potential roles that racism and sexism are playing during the event. Recent studies have explored the gendered racism that African American women experience and the impact on their psychological distress, noting the difficulty in trying to separate their experiences of racism from experiences of sexism (Szymanski and Stewart 2010;Thomas et al 2008). Future research should continue to explore experiences of gender prejudice in the lives of women from various age groups, ethnic populations and socioeconomic status.…”

Daily Hassles and African American Adolescent Females’ Psychological Functioning: Direct and Interactive Associations with Gender Role Orientation

“…Studies have suggested that the intersection between race and class have important implications for African American females' social experiences and subsequent mental health outcomes (e.g., Keith and Brown 2010;Szymanski and Stewart 2010). In particular, research has indicated that African American females from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may be at an increased likelihood for stress exposure (e.g., Siefert et al 2007).…”

Do Double Minority Students Face Double Jeopardy? Testing Minority Stress Theory

“…M embers of cultural minority groups tend to experience disproportionate amounts of psychological distress and disorders in comparison to the general population Szymanski & Stewart, 2010;U.S. Surgeon General, 2001).…”