Emotion Regulation is Associated with Symptoms of Racial Trauma Among Minoritized People

Race-based traumatic stress (RBTS) can develop after prolonged exposure to racial discrimination and shares similar symptoms to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is a scarcity of research investigating specific psychological processes associated with RBTS that may inform intervention development. As PTSD and RBTS have shared symptomology, it is possible that psychological processes implicated in PTSD may also be implicated in RBTS. The current study examined if mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation difficulties were significantly associated with RBTS symptoms in a sample of racially diverse participants. Both undergraduate (n = 97) and online (n = 123) participants from minoritized racial backgrounds completed an online battery of measures that included measures of RBTS symptoms, mindfulness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation difficulties. Results indicated that only emotion regulation difficulties were significantly associated with RBTS symptoms. The specific elements of emotion regulation difficulties that were associated with RBTS symptoms were lack of emotional clarity and lack of emotional awareness. Post hoc mediation analyses revealed that emotion regulation difficulties mediated the relationship between distress tolerance and RBTS symptoms and the relationship between mindfulness and RBTS symptoms. Our finding that distress tolerance and mindfulness were not associated with RBTS symptoms suggests possible discrepancies in the mechanisms underlying RBTS and PTSD. Furthermore, our findings suggest that interventions that focus on improving emotion regulation difficulties, specifically emotional clarity and emotional acceptance, may represent effective interventions for RBTS.