Examining racial microaggressions in group therapy and the buffering role of members' perceptions of their group's multicultural orientation.

Abstract

Microaggressions have been found to occur at high rates within individual therapeutic dyads, and negatively impact therapeutic processes and outcomes for clients. However, there has been limited attention to the occurrence and impact of racial microaggressions in a group therapy context. Therefore, this study sought to examine the occurrence and impact of racial microaggressions on clients' perceptions of group cohesion and improvement in group therapy, as well as the buffering role of members' perceptions of their group's multicultural orientation (MCO) on the impact of racial microaggressions. Data for this study consisted of 71 racial/ethnic minority (REM) clients across 38 interpersonal process therapy groups. Results indicated that 72% of participants reported experiencing at least 1 racial microaggression over the course of their group therapy experience. Contrary to our hypothesis, racial microaggressions were not associated with member's perceptions of group cohesion or improvement. However, results indicated that REM members' experiences of racial microaggressions had a stronger negative effect on their perceptions of group cohesion in groups with perceived low cultural comfort. This study documents the high prevalence of racial microaggressions in group therapy and the effect of the group's MCO on the relationship between racial microaggressions and REM members' perceptions of group cohesion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).