The role of cognitive appraisal in the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and psychological distress among Latinos

OF THE THESIS The Role of Cognitive Appraisal in the Relationship between Perceived Racial Discrimination and Psychological Distress among Latinos by Cheyenne M. Dunbar Master of Arts in Psychology San Diego State University, 2012 Past research has established a relationship between perceived racial discrimination (how frequently a discriminatory situation occurs) and psychological distress (e.g., depression and anxiety). The present study aims to contribute a more detailed view of this relationship by (a) examining cognitive appraisal as a moderator of this relationship and (b) measuring psychological distress at explicit and implicit levels of responding. Cognitive appraisal is the way in which an individual defines and evaluates his or her environment. There are several dimensions of cognitive appraisal that are relevant to the perceived discrimination—psychological distress relationship, including stressfulness, harmfulness, controllability, and ability to cope. Situations perceived as high harm and stress, low control and ability to cope have been found to account for greater psychological distress. Herein, it is argued that frequently recurring discriminatory events that are perceived as relatively benign (i.e., low harm and stress, high control and ability to cope) can also be linked to psychological distress. Therefore, it was predicted that low harm and stress, high control and ability to cope situations would account for greater psychological distress, especially when these situations occur with greater frequency. In addition, it was argued that racial minority group members may not be fully aware of, or willing to self-report, the adverse effects of perceived discrimination. There may be two distinct levels of thoughts and feelings in relation to perceived discrimination: the consciously accessible and controllable (explicit) level and the inaccessible and automatic (implicit) level. Thus, studying psychological distress at the implicit level may provide additional insights into the detrimental impact of racial discrimination. Data were collected from a sample of 152 Latino college students. The frequency of personal experiences of racial discrimination was assessed using the Schedule of Racist Events. Cognitive appraisals were assessed using a series of items designed to measure stressfulness, harmfulness, controllability, and ability to cope. Two Implicit Association Tests were used to measure the extent to which the self was associated with the concepts “depressed” vs. “happy” and “anxious” vs. “calm. ” Participants also completed parallel explicit measures of depression and anxiety, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies—Depression Scale. In line with previous research, increased frequency of perceived discrimination was related to greater explicit psychological distress (i.e., depression and anxiety). In addition, decreased controllability and ability to cope were related to increased explicit depression. None of the predicted interaction effects of frequency with the cognitive appraisal dimensions reached statistical significance. Furthermore, there were no significant main effects or interactions on the implicit measures