Abstract
Methodological impediments have presented challenges in identifying which individuals are at the highest risk of experiencing discrimination and its detrimental corollaries. In the current study, we examined whether adolescents’ number of perceived reasons for everyday discriminations (i.e., number of identities and/or characteristics adolescents identify as the reasons(s) they are discriminated against) is associated with frequency of perceived everyday discriminations (PED) and depressive symptoms. Further, we evaluated indirect associations between number of perceived reasons for PEDs and depressive symptoms through frequency of PED, brooding, and reflection. The sample for this cross-sectional study consisted of 328 9th grade students between the ages of 13 and 16 (M = 14.19, SD = 0.56). Around 60% of the sample identified as male, and a majority of the adolescents identified their race as either Black (46%) or White (35%). Adolescents provided data on perceived reasons for PEDs, frequency of PED, brooding, reflection, and depressive symptoms using self-report measures. Adolescents’ number of perceived reasons for PEDs was associated with frequency of PED and depressive symptoms. There were also multiple indirect associations between adolescents’ number of perceived reasons for PEDs and depressive symptoms through frequency of PED, brooding, and reflection. Our results indicate that accounting for adolescents’ number of perceived reasons for PEDs may be useful to both researchers and clinicians in identifying which individuals are at the greatest risk of experiencing PED and associated outcomes. Additional implications and future directions for research are discussed.
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Notes
Throughout this paper we use the phrase “perceived reasons for PEDs” to refer to the number of identities and/or characteristics that victims of discrimination believe to be the target of their experiences of discrimination. We chose this phrase to be consistent with previous literature on this topic (Gayman & Barragan, 2013). However, we in no way mean to imply that victims are somehow responsible for eliciting or causing discrimination. We acknowledge that the prevailing “reason” that discrimination occurs is prejudice and bigotry on the part of the perpetrators.
Given the well documented gender differences in rumination and depression, we also calculated our analyses using gender as a covariate, which did not change any of the associations examined in our study. Thus, we report only the original analyses.
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Smith, E., Pössel, P. Exploring the Relation between Adolescents’ Number of Perceived Reasons for Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 50, 549–560 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-021-00875-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-021-00875-0