Examining the Measurement of Race and Ethnicity to Inform a Model of Sociocultural Stress and Adaptive Coping.

Abstract

This study examines how measurement of race and ethnicity helps to inform a sociocultural model of stress and coping among Black Americans. First, this study attempts to establish a deeper appreciation for the precise measurement of Black Americans’ interpretations of their racial and ethnic identity through a self identified conceptualization of social identity. Additionally, the current study aims to further understanding about the complexities of Black Americans’ experience with racial discrimination and the subsequent mental health consequences; particularly how self identified notions of their race and ethnicity, via the constructs of racial and ethnic identity, relate to adaptive coping with interpersonal experiences of perceived racial discrimination. This study recognizes racial and ethnic identity as unique sociocultural resources that Black Americans may use to modify detrimental lifetime exposure to racially attributed discrimination, by increasing relevant healthy coping methods and reducing subsequent depressive symptom expression. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of both racial and ethnic identity constructs indicated significant conceptual differences in the meaning African Americans and African Caribbeans relate to their race and ethnicity. Additionally, a developed conceptual model of racialized stress and coping was tested, showing evidence of racial and ethnic identity’s ability to mediate the relationship between discrimination, relevant coping and depressive symptoms. Increased racial centrality, lower public regard, and positive intraracial ethnic attitudes were related to coping strategies that lower depressive symptoms for African Americans. Importantly the results indicate acceptance of racial discrimination as the most adaptive (healthy) relevant coping strategy for African Americans in the context of depressive symptoms. Utilizing structural equation modeling, the findings from this study’s tests of a theoretically informed model of racialized stress and coping show that: racial centrality, public regard and intraracial ethnic group attitudes offer psychological benefits that mitigate the negative impact of discrimination on mental health outcomes; point to the need for more self determined conceptual measurement of race and ethnicity within health disparities research; and help to further understand the distinct contributions race and ethnicity can offer to inform health disparities research literature, specifically conceptual models of sociocultural stress and adaptive coping.