Experiencing racial discrimination is an unfortunate reality that many people of color must regularly undergo. With the increased use of social media, videos depicting violence against black bodies (e.g., the murder of George Floyd) are widely circulated and garner millions of views. The consequences of being exposed to these race-related traumatic events online (TEO) can be damaging to the mental health of the Black community, maybe even more so if one’s black identity is important and salient to their overall well-being. This study uses the Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity (MMRI) to separate Black identity into three dimensions: centrality, public regard, and private regard. Though witnessing these race-related TEO often leads to posttraumatic stress (PTS), meaningful growth may also be possible. This concept is known as posttraumatic growth (PTG) where traumatic events lead to a positive change and improvements in overall functioning. The sample consisted of 116 participants (N=116) aged 18–66. Meditation analyses were conducted to see if the dimensions of centrality, public regard, and private regard mediated the relationship between witnessing race-related TEO and PTS/PTG. The analysis indicated that public regard influenced the relationship between witnessing race-related TEO and PTS. Additional analysis showed a positive correlation between PTS and PTG. This indicates that there may be a link between the process of experiencing PTS and PTG. Further research is needed to understand the psychological effects, both positive and negative, of witnessing racial discrimination against one’s own racial/ethnic group.

Authors:
Devin Noel-Harrison, Seattle Pacific University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Mr Devin Noel-Harrison currently works as a Researcher for the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) studying homelessness and housing instability across Washington state. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Seattle Pacific University (SPU) with a BA in Clinical-Counseling Psychology and an MS in Research Psychology.

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