Depression Among Black College Women: Mediating Effect of Coping Styles

The complex relationship between depression and gendered racial microaggressions (GRM)-subtle forms of oppression based on race and gender-warrants further study. While it is known that GRM worsens depression among Black college women, less is known about the underlying mechanisms involved. The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating role of coping in the relationship between GRM and depression among Black college women. This secondary data analysis included 145 Black women attending a large university in the southeastern US. Participants completed a survey assessing depression (PHQ-8), coping (Brief COPE), and gendered racism using the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale (GRMS). GRMS contains two subscales measuring lifetime frequency and stress appraisal of GRM. Mediation analysis was used to assess the role of coping in the relationship between depression and GRM subscales, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Of the 145 participants, 55 (n = 38.0%) reported moderate to severe depression, with a mean PHQ-8 of 8.0. In covariate-adjusted models, GRM frequency and stress appraisal significantly predicted depression. Avoidant coping and emotion-focused coping, but not problem-focused coping, significantly mediated the association between GRM subscales and depression, accounting for up to 50.1% and 20.8% of the total effect, respectively. Coping played a critical mediating role in the relationship between GRM and depression. Future studies should further investigate coping strategies as a key pathway for improving mental health following experiences of GRM and discrimination more broadly among Black college women.