The Relation Between Gendered Racial Microaggressions and Traumatic Stress Among Highly Educated Black Women

Abstract

This study examined the relations among gendered racial microaggressions, resilience, individual and collective self-esteem, and traumatic stress among Black women. Personal self-esteem significantly mediated the positive relation between gendered racial microaggressions and traumatic stress. Resilience was also directly negatively related to traumatic stress and positively related to personal and collective self-esteem. Resilience moderated the positive relation between gendered racial microaggressions and membership identity/esteem. That is, at high levels of resilience, membership identity/esteem remained high, regardless of the frequency of gendered racial microaggressions. However, at low and average levels of resilience, membership identity/esteem was higher when experiencing more frequent gendered racial microaggressions. Mental health providers are encouraged to consider the deleterious role of gendered racial microaggressions in Black women’s traumatic stress. In addition, mental health providers should also consider the role of resilience in potentially mitigating traumatic stress and fostering Black women’s personal and collective self-esteem.