Reinforcement sensitivity and the association between exposure to racialized stressors and internalizing...

Black Americans face frequent exposure to racialized forms of stress directly through interpersonal discrimination experiences and indirectly through racialized social contexts that are shaped by structural factors (e.g., exposure to community violence). Research findings link chronic stress exposure to increased risk for internalizing psychopathology, yet internalizing outcomes among Black Americans are varied. Reinforcement sensitivity theory (RST) describes two systems, the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS), which are thought to shape individual differences in behavior and sensitivity to external cues. To better understand factors associated with individual differences in Black mental health outcomes, this study examines the BIS and BAS as potential moderators of the relationship between exposure to racialized stressors and internalizing symptoms (i.e., anxiety and depression). Participants were 329 Black American young adults (M age = 22.84 years, SD = 1.122; 55% female) who reported on levels of BIS/BAS, experiences of racial discrimination, community violence exposure, and anxiety and depression symptoms. Regression analyses revealed both interpersonal racial discrimination and community violence exposure predicted increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. Additionally, BIS and BAS measures moderated the association between community violence exposure and anxiety symptoms, with greater exposure to community violence predicting increased anxiety symptoms for individuals with relatively lower levels of BIS and low levels of BAS-reward responsiveness. BIS and BAS did not moderate the association between interpersonal racial discrimination and internalizing symptoms. These results suggest exposure to community violence may differentially impact mental health outcomes for Black individuals based on BIS and BAS differences.