An investigation of coping in response to different race-related stressor experiences in school among racially diverse participants

Bibliographic Data

ID9053265
AuthorsDawn X Henderson (0000-0002-9773-4208, Social Science Research Council), Justin Jabar Joseph (0000-0002-9174-5088, University of North Alabama), Pamela P Martins (0000-0003-4231-2160, University of South Carolina), Pamela Martin, Menna Mburi (0000-0002-8178-0269, Social Science Research Council), Megan Stanley (0000-0002-6600-3031, Social Science Research Council), Ariel McField (University of South Carolina), Sireen B Irsheid (0000-0002-5416-2051, University of Chicago), Anna Lee (0000-0002-7420-2954, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University), Maya Corneille (Morehouse College)
Year2021
Volume91
Issue2
Pages181-192
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9432 • E-ISSN: 1939-0025
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/ort0000529
PMID33983769
OpenAlexW3161476767
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited13

The landmark Brown versus Board of Education decision led to the desegregation of public schools in the United States. Consequently, Black/African American, Latinx, Asian, and Native American (BALANA) students experienced multiple race-related stressors. Not surprisingly, BALANA students still report experiences with racial discrimination, exclusion, and harassment in public schools. Encounters with race-related stressors in school can lead to maladaptive outcomes; however, for some young people, such stressors may induce a more adaptive coping response. The coping response may depend on the experience in school and the degree to which young people perceive they have control over the stressor. This study focused on the transactional nature of coping concerning different race-related stressors in school. The study investigates whether emotion-focused coping use prevailed across a sample of 165 ethnically and racially diverse participants. Results suggest that emotion-focused coping use is high among participants; however, the unique race-related stressor experienced in school can also lead to social-focused and other coping strategies. Coping with race-related stressors in school allows BALANA students to survive racism; reducing the presence of race-related stressors in school allows BALANA students to thrive. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

Coping (psychology) · Coping behavior · Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · Race (biology) · Racial differences · Sociology · Stressor · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Gender Studies · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Resilience and Mental Health

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