A person-centered approach to situational stress: the role of cognitive resources in appraisals of interracial contact

In a sample of White Americans, we employed a person-centered approach to identify patterns of stress-related appraisals that disentangle interracial anxiety from general social anxiety and help investigate the role of secondary appraisals in promoting positive interracial attitudes and interactions. Three latent profiles emerged: <i>low stress</i>, characterized by low stress-related appraisals across all contexts; <i>high stress</i>, characterized by heightened stress-related appraisals across all contexts; and <i>discrepancy</i>, which appraised the interracial interaction as less stressful than other contexts. Profiles differed in cognitive resources relevant to coping with interracial contact, performance orientation, and attitudes toward immigrants, but not interracial interaction frequency.