“These Experiences Kill You Emotionally”: Examining How Black Emerging Adults Construct Meaning of Race-Based Traumatic Stress

Race-based traumatic stress (RBTS) refers to the emotional and/or physiological responses associated with a racist or racially discriminatory occurrence experienced as traumatic, injurious, and/or emotionally painful. Race-based traumatic stress is predictive of adverse mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, however, less is known about how Black emerging adults encounter and manage RBTS. We conducted 30 in-depth, individual interviews with a community sample of Black emerging adults living in St. Louis, Missouri. Reflexive thematic analysis guided the analysis of the interview data. Three broad themes emerged from the participants’ lived experiences: (1) experiences of everyday racism (2) hypervigilance as an adaptive coping response, and (3) the mental and physical symptoms of RBTS. Study findings illustrate how the mundane and unpredictable experiences Black emerging adults encounter operate on an individual and structural level to lead to manifestations of race-based traumatic stress and adverse mental and physical health outcomes.