Race-Based Rejection Sensitivity and Racial Identity Predict African American Students’ Reactions to the Fatal Shooting of Other African Americans: Personal Threat and Identification with Shooting Victims as Mediators

ABSTRACT

African American university students (n = 365) read a description of the fatal shooting of African Americans in incidents that most participants perceived as involving racial bias. Then they completed measures about their distress concerning these incidents, identification with the shooting victims, and feeling personally threatened by the shootings. Higher race-based rejection sensitivity and several components of racial identity (higher racial centrality, higher private regard, and lower public regard) predicted more distress about the shootings via increased feelings of personal threat. Only higher racial centrality was related to more distress based on how much participants identified with the shooting victims. The results document how indirect experiences with race-related shootings may elicit distress about these incidents.

KEYWORDS:

• Distress
• indirect experiences with racial violence
• race-based rejection sensitivity
• racial identity
• shooting of African Americans

View correction statement:

Corrigendum

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Laurin B. Roberts

Laurin B. Roberts, MS, is a doctoral candidate at the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology in Norfolk, Virginia. Her research interests include parenting, identity, health, and well-being among minority populations.

Ralitsa S. Maduro

Ralitsa S. Maduro, PhD, is a biostatistician at the Quality Research Institute, Sentara Healthcare, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Her research interests include parenting, measurement development, indirect racism, and HIV stigma.

Valerian J. Derlega

Valerian J. Derlega, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. His research interests focus on reactions to indirect racism and HIV stigma.

Alexander L. Peterkin

Alexander L. Peterkin, MS, is a master of science in psychology candidate at Old Dominion University. His research interests include ADHD and substance abuse.

Desi S. Hacker

Desi S. Hacker, PhD, is Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies at Norfolk State University and the Associate Director of Clinical Training with the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests are minority and gender health and well-being.

Kelsey T. Ellis

Kelsey T. Ellis, BS, is a doctoral student at the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests include parenting, higher-order cognitive processes, depression, and anxiety.