A – 69 Ethnic Identity, Racial Discrimination and Microaggressions Predict PTSD in BIPOC Individuals

Abstract Objective Racial discrimination is linked to greater connectivity between the amygdala and thalamus, which is associated with medial prefrontal cortex hypoactivation, mirroring PTSD (Manthey et al., 2021). This trauma impacts BIPOC individuals disproportionately and is responsible for disparities in wellness (Gee et al., 2009; Pieterse et al., 2010). Ethnic identity strength is associated with frontoparietal network density which is key in threat responses (Constante et al., 2022). To fill gaps in literature, our study examined whether ethnic identity, discrimination, and microaggressions predict PTSD symptoms in BIPOC individuals. Method Participants were U.S. adults (N = 264; M age = 35.8, SD = 12) who identified as African American or Black (22.3%), Hispanic/Latinx (20.5%), Asian/Asian American (20.1%), mixed race/ethnicity (18.2%), and Indigenous American or Alaskan Native (18.2%), and as women (56.1%), men (40.2%), or other genders (3.8%). They completed Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (Phinney, 1992), Racial Microaggression Scale (Torres-Harding et al., 2012), Trauma Symptoms of Discrimination Scale (Williams et al., 2018), and PTSD Checklist (Weathers et al., 2013) online. Results Regression revealed that ethnic identity strength, racial discrimination, and racial microaggression experiences significantly predicted PTSD symptoms, F(8, 245) = 36.06, p < .001, R2 = .54. Ethnic identity strength reduced risk of PTSD (beta= -.102), whereas racial discrimination (beta=.670) and microaggressions implying criminality (beta=.099) or sexualization (beta=.086) increased PTSD risk. Conclusion Results suggest racial discrimination and microaggressions are contributing factors in PTSD development. Ethnic identity appears to mitigate the neurological underpinnings of PTSD. The findings underscore a need to address ethnic identity in clinical treatment.