(PS6-D95) Racial Trauma: The Association Between Discrimination and Posttraumatic Stress

There is currently a growing focus on the intersection of racial discrimination and mental health, particularly in the wake of recent social justice movements and increased awareness of systemic racism. Despite the pervasiveness of racial discrimination, minimal research exists on the effects of discrimination on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Racial minorities experience more trauma than their white counterparts, with the lifetime prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being higher among Black individuals at 8.7%, compared to 7% for white individuals (Roberts et al., 2011). In addition, racial minorities experience greater PTSS severity following trauma exposure (Bird et al., 2021). Increased exposure to chronic, traumatic stressors has been known to affect PTSS severity (Resick et al., 2012). Despite these associations, the direct effects of racial discrimination on PTSS remain largely unexplored.

The current study aims to address this gap in the literature using preliminary screening data from a sample of racial minorities (Black, N=24, 53.3%; Hispanic, N=16,35.6%; Asian=1, 2.2%; Multi-racial=4,8.9%) enrolled in an ongoing clinical trial at a residential substance use addiction treatment facility. A hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis that perceived exposure to racial discrimination (Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire, PEDQ; Brondolo et al., 2005) would account for significant variance in PTSS (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Checklist, PCL-5; Blevins et al., 2015) after controlling for conventional trauma (Life Events Checklist, LEC-5; Gray et al., 2004).

Findings indicated that PEDQ accounted for more variance in PCL-5 scores (β = 1.40, p < .01) than the LEC-5. The overall model was found to be significant; F(42) = 5.75, p< .01 and significantly improved with the inclusion of the PEDQ (ΔR² = .14, p < .01).

Overall, initial findings suggest that, among racial minorities, perceived racial discrimination significantly associates with PTSS and may have more of an impact on PTSS relative to conventional measures of trauma exposure (i.e., LEC-5) for racial minorities. These findings underscore the need to further investigate the effect of racial discrimination on mental health and suggest the potential need to develop and modify treatment approaches that integrate race-specific stressors for use with racial minorities. Further analyses and discussion will focus on the associations between racial discrimination, trauma exposure, PTSS, and mental health outcomes (i.e., drug misuse) among individuals identifying as racial minorities.