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Racial trauma and well-being among Black young adults
Elijah R Murphy1, Deanna Rosales1, Matthew W Gallagher1
1Department of Psychology, University of Houston.
Objective:
Racism is a known driver of mental health disparities among Black adults. Racist experiences can produce racial trauma symptoms, particularly if the experiences were sudden and uncontrollable. Insight into the relationship between symptoms of racial trauma and well-being among Black adults is limited. The purpose of the present study is to measure the association between racial trauma and three domains of well-being, an often-omitted dimension of mental health outcomes.
Method:
Structural equation modeling was used to quantify relationships between racial trauma and subjective, social, psychological, and overall well-being among 417 Black adults. Racial trauma was measured with the Trauma Symptoms of Discrimination Scale, which focuses on the anxiety-related traumatic impacts of discrimination.
Results:
Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that racial trauma was linked to lower subjective, psychological, and overall well-being with small effect sizes. Surprisingly, racial trauma was not associated with social well-being.
Conclusion:
Though heightened racial trauma was associated with more negative experiences, less capacity to realize one's capabilities, and diminished overall well-being, it was not associated with participants' social engagements. Strengthening social well-being may be a critical intervention strategy for racial trauma recovery and healing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
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