School-based racial microaggressions: A barrier to resilience among African American adolescents exposed to trauma.

Abstract

Objective: African American adolescents experience disproportionate rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which heightens their risk for negative social, behavioral, and health outcomes. Schools may be a source of support for adolescents exposed to ACEs; however, for many African American adolescents, schools are a source of additional stress due to experiences of racial/ethnic microaggressions. The current study examined the relationship between ACEs, school-based racial/ethnic microaggressions, and resilience after violence exposure in African American adolescents. Method: Participants included 189 African American adolescents with an average age of 15.15 (SD = 1.27, range = 13-18). Fifty-one percent identified as female. Participants reported an average ACE score of 5.81 (SD = 3.63). Moderation analyses were conducted using the three subscales of the School-based Racial and Ethnic Microaggression Scale (academic inferiority, expectations of aggression, and stereotypical misrepresentations; Keels et al., 2017). Results: ACEs were negatively related to resilience after violence exposure in all three microaggression models. The microaggressions subscales academic inferiority (b = À.05, t(183) = À2.05, p = .04) and stereotypical misrepresentations (b = À.08, t(183) = À2.04, p = .04) significantly moderated the relationship between ACEs and resilience after violence exposure, such that the inverse relationship between these two variables was stronger at higher levels of endorsed microaggressive experiences measured with these two subscales. The moderation model was not significant for the expectations of aggression subscale. Conclusions: Findings suggest that school-based racial/ethnic microaggressions negatively impact resilience after violence exposure among African American adolescents exposed to multiple ACEs. Clinical Impact StatementOur study indicates adverse childhood experiences are negatively related to resilience after violence exposure among African American adolescents and at high levels of school-based racial/ethnic microaggressions this relationship is even stronger. It is important to address the interactive effects of school-based racial microaggressions, violence exposure, and ACEs among African American adolescents to improve trauma-informed program and policies within schools to promote health equity.

Mass Incarceration and Microaggressions: America’s Modern Day Slavery

“…They are defined as intentional or unintentional slights that send a negative message to individuals based solely on a marginalized group (Tadros & Owens, 2021). This can look like non-Black individuals being surprised that Black individuals earn their money through legal means, assumptions about academic inferiority, stereotypical misrepresentations, and negative expectations overall (Woods-Jaeger et al, 2022). Since racism is sometimes believed to only occur on large scales like slavery or mass incarceration, microaggressions are overlooked and disregarded when detailing the unjust Black American experience.…”

“…In fact, studies indicate that Black children experience school-based microaggressions that influence them academically, socially, and behaviorally. Children who suffer from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) or traumatic events like neglect, bullying, or witnessing community violence could be more deeply affected by this (Woods-Jaeger et al, 2022).…”

Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Process(es) of Frequent K–12 Student Mobility in Urban Contexts

“…Given the domain specificity of social capital (Ream, 2005), the contexts in which students attempt to access and activate scarce resources via social exchange also matter. Our participants navigated frequent mobility within urban environments, where structural racism in the forms of residential segregation, concentrated poverty, and limited access to education and employment opportunities often place a disproportionate burden on children (Woods-Jaeger et al, 2022). This may be especially true for Black and Hispanic individuals (Jacoby et al, 2018), who made up nearly two-thirds of our analytic sample.…”

“…This may be especially true for Black and Hispanic individuals (Jacoby et al, 2018), who made up nearly two-thirds of our analytic sample. And while schools and communities could conceivably be a source of support for students exposed to frequent mobility, for many children of color schools are often a source of additional stress due to experiences of racial/ethnic microaggressions (Woods-Jaeger et al, 2022).…”

Introduction to the special issue: Resilience and perseverance for human flourishing.

“…Franz et al (2022) examine whether stronger neighborhood cohesion provided a protective influence on the effects of PTSD on parental functioning. With respect to school environments, Woods-Jaeger et al (2022) examine the negative effect of school-based microaggressions on the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and resilience in African American adolescents, and Ijadi-Maghsoodi et al (2022) identify gender differences in the effects of traumatic stress on academic outcomes among minoritized youth. Collectively, these studies highlight the importance of broader context and environmental variables that influence resilience following trauma.…”