Effects of Coping Styles Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Emerging Adults Who Experienced Trauma
Date of Conferral
10-26-2023
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Robert Weisskirch
Abstract
This quantitative study investigated the coping styles of racial/ethnic minorities who have experienced trauma, such as childhood trauma and racial discrimination. Endler and Parker's multidimensional interaction model of stress, anxiety, and coping served as the theoretical framework. The research questions addressed whether there are coping style differences by race/ethnicity, childhood trauma, racial discrimination, and a combination of the variables. An online questionnaire consisting of measures of coping, childhood trauma, and racial discrimination was completed by 116 participants. Due to a small number of non-African American/Black participants, Research Questions 1 and 3 could not be tested for lack of sufficient sample size. Based on the results for Research Questions 2 and 4, emotion-oriented coping had a negative association with childhood trauma, and emotion-oriented coping styles had a positive association with racial discrimination. Results thus indicated that childhood trauma experiences were minimally related to the coping style preferences of African American/Black individuals who had experienced racial discrimination and were likely to use an emotion-oriented coping style. The study also indicated a positive association between task-oriented coping and avoidance-oriented coping and a negative association between childhood trauma and racial discrimination. The results suggested that the more task-oriented coping experienced by African American/Black individuals, the more avoidance-oriented coping experienced, and the more childhood trauma experienced, the less racial discrimination reported. This research is significant for mental health professionals seeking to understand the coping styles of racial/ethnic minorities leading to positive social change.
Recommended Citation
Bell, Kenyatta September Braggs, "Effects of Coping Styles Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Emerging Adults Who Experienced Trauma" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15011.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15011
