Race-related stressors, ethnicity, and trauma-related cognitions

Resent research suggests that exposure to racism-related stressors is related to PTSD, however the mechanism whereby these stressors lead to PTSD is unclear. Ethnic minorities are exposed to differentially more race-related stressors (RRS) and the chronic and pervasive nature of racism and discrimination may increase these individuals' vulnerability to physical and emotional harm. Trauma-related cognitions appear to play a role in the development and maintenance of PTSD, although studies have not examined trauma-related cognitions specifically in those who have experienced PTSD symptoms related to a racism-related event. The current study's aim was to examine ethnic differences in exposure and responses to race-related stressors among college students. Participants completed a survey concerning their exposure to RRS, post-traumatic cognitions, and demographic questions. It was hypothesized that ethnic minorities (i.e., non-Caucasians) would report more race-related stressors than Caucasians. Ethnicity was predicted to moderate the effect of race-related exposure, as measured by the RES, on self-blaming appraisals, such that those who identify as an ethnic minority will endorse more characterological and behavioral self-blame (as measured by the PTCI SELF and BLAME subscales respectively), across increasing levels of race-related stressors. Self-blaming appraisals were predicted to mediate the relationship between exposure to RRS and racism-related post-traumatic symptoms. The sample consisted of ethnically diverse college/university students (n=471), with age ranging from 18-56 years. Results of a one-tailed t-test showed that ethnic minority participants endorsed significantly more experiences of RRS than did Caucasian participants, consistent with previous findings in the literature. Regression analyses showed that while ethnicity did not moderate the relationship between exposure to RRS and self-blaming appraisals, regression and bootstrapping analyses showed that self-blaming appraisals did mediate the relationship between exposure to RRS and race-related PTSD symptoms. Moreover, Chinese American, Filipino American, and Vietnamese American participants endorsed characterological self-blaming appraisals significantly more than did other ethnic groups. These findings suggest that self-blaming appraisals play a role in the development or maintenance of PTSD symptoms and that there are ethnic differences in the types of self-blaming appraisals.