The Adverse Impact of Racial Microaggressions on College Students’ Self-Esteem

Abstract

Racial microaggressions are subtle (often unintentional or unconscious) forms of racial discrimination that negatively affect victims’ mental health. Utilizing an undergraduate student sample (N = 225), the current study examined the relationship between racial microaggressions and self-esteem. Results indicate that racial microaggressions negatively predict a lower self-esteem, and that microaggressions that occur in educational and workplace environments are particularly harmful to self-esteem. Finally, findings reveal that individuals of various racial and ethnic minority groups experience racial microaggressions differently. Implications for student development and recommendations for further research involving racial microaggressions and college students are discussed.

Testing Hypersensitive Responses: Ethnic Minorities Are Not More Sensitive to Microaggressions, They Just Experience Them More Frequently

“…To measure the frequency of microaggressions, participants indicated how often they experienced nine negative events (α = .79) drawn from the Daily Life Experience scale which has been extensively used as a measure of microaggressions in previous research (Nadal et al, 2014;Sellers, Copeland-Linder, Martin, & L'Heureux Lewis, 2006;Torres et al, 2010).…”

Racial Microaggression, Overt Discrimination, and Distress: (In)Direct Associations with Psychological Adjustment

“…Microaggression incidents are characterized as subtle, automatic, innocuous, and offensive remarks against racial minority groups (Pierce, Carew, Pierce-Gonzalez, & Wills, 1977). These microaggression experiences have been linked to mental anguish, poorer self-esteem, and costs to academic success among minority college students (McCabe, 2009;Nadal, Wong, Griffin, Davidoff, & Sriken, 2014). Some universities have begun offering and/or mandating microaggression training on campus (AAC&U, 2016), and some people have argued that microaggression complaints can be understood as elements of a "victimhood culture" (Campbell & Manning, 2018).…”

“…Racial discrimination is positively correlated with poor psychological adjustment such as distress, depression and anxiety symptoms, and hazardous alcohol and drug use (Gilbert & Zemore, 2016;Lee & Ahn, 2011, 2013Triana, Jayasinghe, & Pieper, 2015;Williams & Mohammed, 2009). Racial microaggression also is positively linked to greater perceived stress and depression symptoms, and lower levels of wellbeing and self-esteem (Nadal et al, 2014;Kim, Kendall, & Cheon, 2017;Torres, Driscoll, & Burrow, 2010). These two nonintersecting bodies of literature have limited a comprehensive understanding of negative impact of racism on psychological adjustment.…”

20201218

“…As the American Muslim population continues to grow, the number of Muslim college students will see a parallel increase; this study aims to identify trends that could affect the wellbeing of this growing population. Racial slights that occur in educational or work settings may negatively impact an individual's psychological health (Nadal, Wong, Griffin, Davidoff, & Sriken, 2014) and perception of their life on campus (Harper, Davis, Jones, McGowan, Ingram, & Platt, 2011;Nadal et al, 2014). Studies have focused on a range of religious discrimination in a variety of set-tings and the impact on the general Muslim American population (Abu-Ras et al, 2018;Aroian, 2012;Livengood & Stodolska, 2004;Park, Malachi, Sternin, & Tevet, 2009;Tummala-Narra & Claudius, 2013).…”