Prior Experiences With Racial Discrimination Predict Psychological Reactions to a Recent Incident of Race-Based Rejection Among African American University Students

Abstract

Based on previous theory and research suggesting that a defensive motivational system (DMS) is activated in response to a specific incident of racial discrimination, prejudice, or stereotyping, we examined how prior experiences with racial discrimination increase intense psychological reactions to a recent incident of race-based rejection. Participants were 161 African American undergraduate students from a PWCU or a HBCU who initially completed a Time 1 measure about their prior experiences with racial discrimination. At Time 2, participants who reported being the target of prejudice in the previous 10 to 12 weeks completed measures of thought intrusions about the incident, negative affect about what happened, and lack of forgiveness for the perpetrator. The results indicated that prior exposure to racial discrimination was associated with an increase in thought intrusions about the incident. In turn, more thought intrusions were associated with more negative affect and lower forgiveness for the perpetrator.

Keywords:

• Racial discrimination
• race-based rejection
• defensive motivational system
• negative affect
• lack of forgiveness

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Alex Woody for his assistance in the initial data collection.

Notes

1 Due to the significant bivariate correlations with age and school, the model was also run controlling for age of participant and school attended. Chi-square tests indicated the models did not significantly differ; thus, both covariates were removed in order to test the original theoretical model in the most parsimonious manner.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brynn E. Sheehan

Brynn E. Sheehan, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Healthcare Analytics and Delivery Science Institute at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. She has extensive experience in advanced methodological and statistical techniques, and a strong background in experimental and quasi-experimental design. Her research broadly focuses on applied social and health psychology, and specifically on alcohol and drug use, and maladaptive health behaviors among young adults.

Valerian J. Derlega

Valerian J. Derlega, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. During Val’s very long career, his research has spanned a number of areas. He has examined extensively the role of self-disclosure, privacy regulation, and social support in managing stigma-related issues for persons with HIV and sickle cell disease. More recently, he has been investigating the association between direct and indirect experiences with race- and sexual- or gender-related violence on psychological adjustment and willingness to get involved in social action.

Ralitsa S. Maduro

Ralitsa S. Maduro, PhD, is a biostatistician at the Quality Research Institute at Sentara Healthcare, Virginia Beach, Virginia. She has over 8 years of experience in advanced statistical analytics, data modeling, manipulation and transformation, and variable specification. In addition, Ralitsa’s prior research includes health, stigma, decision making, and parenting topics, which have yielded 12 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 34 peer-reviewed conference presentations and talks.

Barbara A. Winstead

Barbara A. Winstead, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Old Dominion University and the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology. Her research focuses on gender and relationships and the effects of stigma on relationships and well-being. Her research has resulted in more than 90 journal articles, chapters, and books, as well as numerous conference presentations. She is coeditor with James Maddux of Psychopathology: Foundations for a Contemporary Understanding (4th ed.).