Timing and perpetrator identity matter when coping with school-based adverse racialized experiences

Young people perceived as darker-skinned, identified as Black/African American, or ethnically and racially marginalized will have an increased likelihood of encountering various school-based adverse racialized experiences (AREs) in the U.S. education system. Ethnically and racially marginalized young people may need to appraise and access a variety of sociocultural cues and factors when making decisions about how to cope with AREs. These specific sociocultural factors may be associated with the developmental timing of AREs (e.g., elementary vs. high school) and the social identity of the perpetrator (e.g., a teacher vs. a peer). Other factors, such as the student’s social identity (i.e. gender, race, and ethnicity) and the racial and ethnic composition of the school, may be considered when a young person appraises an ARE and makes coping decisions. This study uses cultural-ecological developmental theories to explore the independent and mediated contributions of sociocultural factors in retrospective accounts of coping decisions about school-based AREs in a sample of 207 adults, most of whom self-identified as Black/African American between the ages of 17 and 59. Results showed the timing of AREs and perpetrator identity were associated with increased use of acceptance, anger, and denial as coping strategies, with no indirect effects found. Implications discuss ways to equip educators and parents with the information needed to support the well-being and persistence of ethnically and racially marginalized young people in schools.