Racial Microaggressions Research: Intersectionality, Coping Strategies, and Groups Impacted

Microaggressions, a term first coined to name everyday experiences with oppression five decades ago (Pierce et al., 1977), has evolved in the literature naming specific aggressions taking place in microsystems targeting minoritized groups (Sue et al., 2007). However, as this research area expands, a need for specificity about who is being impacted by racial microaggressions and how this impact takes place remains a gap in the literature that the research program of this dissertation aimed to address. Expanding from traditional racial microaggression approaches (Sue et al., 2019; Williams et al., 2021), this dissertation incorporates aspects of intersectionality, coping strategies, and novel forms of racial oppression in an effort to expand our understanding of the impact of microaggressions. Chapter 2 presents findings from a cross-sectional study applying intersectional methods to assess the experience of LGBTQ+ students of color and explore other axes of oppression, such as cisness, in connection with attitudes of persistence in school. Results showed that while all participants are impacted by intersectional microaggressions, gender expansive people reported the most concerning levels of impact. Chapter 4 presents findings from an online cross-sectional study assessing alcohol or substance use as a coping strategy for the psychological distress associated with racial microaggressions among people of color. Findings in a mediation analysis suggested that the relation between racial microaggression and alcohol/drug use as a coping strategy is best explained by the psychological distress associated with both. Chapter 6 reports findings from a study exploring a specific type of microaggression, immigration status microaggressions, and their psychological impact on Latinx and Asian college students. Results suggested that immigration status microaggressions psychologically impact both groups. However, moderated mediation findings presented more significant effects for Latinx students than Asian ones.