Posttraumatic Growth And Race-Based Trauma Among African Americans

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Orejuela Davila, A. (2020). Posttraumatic Growth And Race-Based Trauma Among African Americans. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

Racism is a prevalent and chronic stressor that can cause profound physical and psychological consequences on its targets. Cultural models of stress posit that sociocultural factors (such as racial identity and racial socialization) influence the appraisal of racism as a stressor. These models also recognize that racism can be a traumatic experience for its targets. Although traumatic events have the potential to induce negative reactions in the individuals who experience them, these events also allow for the possibility of posttraumatic growth (PTG) to occur. Although the PTG model posits that sociocultural factors play a role in PTG processes, this has not been empirically tested within the context of race-based traumatic events, which is a line of inquiry that can potentially have profound implications for the healing of racial trauma. Thus, the present study examined how racial identity and racial socialization influence PTG among African American college students who have experienced race-based traumatic events. Results showed that participants experienced PTG to a small degree, especially in the area of personal strength. Participants also endorsed experiencing core belief disruption to small degree, which was significantly and positively associated with race-based traumatic stress (RBTS). Results also showed that RBTS contributed to intrusive rumination above and beyond the effect of core belief disruption. Surprisingly, aspects of racial identity and socialization were not significantly associated with deliberate rumination. Posthoc analyses revealed that nationalist ideology was significantly associated with core belief disruption, whereas public regard was significantly associated with PTG.

Details
Author

Orejuela Davila, Ana

Title

Posttraumatic Growth And Race-Based Trauma Among African Americans

Physical Description

1 online resource (124 pages) : PDF

Date

2020

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Racism is a prevalent and chronic stressor that can cause profound physical and psychological consequences on its targets. Cultural models of stress posit that sociocultural factors (such as racial identity and racial socialization) influence the appraisal of racism as a stressor. These models also recognize that racism can be a traumatic experience for its targets. Although traumatic events have the potential to induce negative reactions in the individuals who experience them, these events also allow for the possibility of posttraumatic growth (PTG) to occur. Although the PTG model posits that sociocultural factors play a role in PTG processes, this has not been empirically tested within the context of race-based traumatic events, which is a line of inquiry that can potentially have profound implications for the healing of racial trauma. Thus, the present study examined how racial identity and racial socialization influence PTG among African American college students who have experienced race-based traumatic events. Results showed that participants experienced PTG to a small degree, especially in the area of personal strength. Participants also endorsed experiencing core belief disruption to small degree, which was significantly and positively associated with race-based traumatic stress (RBTS). Results also showed that RBTS contributed to intrusive rumination above and beyond the effect of core belief disruption. Surprisingly, aspects of racial identity and socialization were not significantly associated with deliberate rumination. Posthoc analyses revealed that nationalist ideology was significantly associated with core belief disruption, whereas public regard was significantly associated with PTG.

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

Clinical psychology

Degree

Ph.D.

Keywords

African Americans
Posttraumatic Growth
Race-Based Stress
Racial Identity
Racism
Trauma

Subject Area

Health Psychology

Advisor(s)

Tedeschi, Richard

Committee Members

Case, Andrew
Basinger, Erin
Boyd, Suzanne

Degree Note

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2020.

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Rights Holder Information

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Identifier

OrejuelaDavila_uncc_0694D_12534

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:2202