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Updated: May 14, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Informal and formal support as moderators between racial discrimination and distress among a community sample of
Lydia HaRim Ahn1, Gloria SooYoung Kang1, Ga Tin Finneas Wong1
1School of Counseling and Counseling Psychology, Arizona State University.
Abstract:
Racial discrimination is a pervasive public health issue among racial/ethnic minorities, especially given its associations with psychological outcomes (Carter et al., 2019; Shi et al., 2022). However, according to Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) stress and coping theory, not all individuals develop mental health issues depending on the ways in which people cope with stressors. Thus, the present study examined whether support as a coping method buffered the link between experiences of racial discrimination and psychological distress. Specifically, we examined multiple forms of support, including social support, the use of psychotherapy, support groups, and self-help books as potential protective factors. Participants included a community sample of racial/ethnic minorities (Mage = 29.08, SD = 10.07), who completed a survey at an Asian community festival in a southwestern state. Results demonstrated that general social support and the use of support groups moderated the association between racial discrimination and distress, whereas the use of self-help books and psychotherapy in the past year did not. Findings highlight the importance of greater support spaces for racial/ethnic minority communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
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