Differential Contributions of Internalized Racism Facets on Psychological Distress.

Abstract

This study examined the relative contributions of various facets of internalized racism (IR) to anxious arousal and depressive symptoms. A racially diverse sample of 205 U.S.-based racial/ethnic minority adults (M _age = 27.96, 60% female, 55.6% Black/African American, 18.5% Asian, 14.6% multiracial, and 11.3% other) completed validated measures of IR, anxiety, and depression. Hierarchical regressions were conducted to assess the unique effects of four IR facets across affective and cognitive dimensions: emotional reactions (affective) with group devaluation, adoption of dominant cultural standards, and patterns of thinking (cognitive), above and beyond sociodemographic information. Global IR was significantly and positively associated with both anxiety and depression, with affective facets being significantly associated with anxiety, whereas the cognitive process of group devaluation was significantly associated with both anxiety and depressive symptomatology. These findings suggest that specific cognitive and affective facets may be implicated in the development of internalizing symptoms among minoritized individuals, particularly shame-based emotional responses and intragroup devaluation. Clinical implications suggest that cognitive restructuring and acceptance-based approaches may help address maladaptive beliefs and emotions tied to racial identity. This study extends the existing literature by exploring how cognitive and affective forms of IR may differentially relate to anxious and depressive presentations, providing direction for refining theoretical models of race-related stress and psychopathology.