Do gendered racial microaggressions predict hypervigilance over and above racial microaggressions among college-aged Black women over time?

Abstract

Although there has been an increase in research on Black women and microaggressions, the purpose of this study was to examine the relations between two types of microaggressions-racial and gendered racial microaggressions-and hypervigilance, a known symptom of anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. We were also interested in whether gendered racial microaggressions accounted for variance over and above racial microaggressions in predicting hypervigilance in Black women both cross-sectionally and over time. Participants were 236 Black women in the Midwest who completed this study in a research laboratory. Results from a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that gendered racial microaggressions predicted variance in hypervigilance over and above the effect of racial microaggressions over time. This study highlights the incremental impact of gendered racial microaggressions-a type of intersectional stressor-on hypervigilance over and above what could be explained by racial microaggressions alone, which further supports the value of using intersectional frameworks and measures when conducting research on Black women's health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).