Intersections of Oppression: Examining the Interactive Effect of Racial Discrimination and Neighborhood Poverty on PTSD Symptoms in Black Women

• Published in: Journal of psychopathology and clinical science 2023-07, Vol.132 (5), p.567-576
• Main Authors: Ravi, Meghna, Mekawi, Yara, Blevins, Emily J., Michopoulos, Vasiliki, Stevens, Jennifer, Carter, Sierra, Powers, Abigail
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African Americans; Black or African American - psychology; Black People; Female; Health disparities; Human; Humans; Moderation; Neighborhood Characteristics; Neighborhoods; Oppression; Post traumatic stress disorder; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Poverty; Poverty - ethnology; Poverty - psychology; Psychopathology; Race and Ethnic Discrimination; Racial discrimination; Racism - ethnology; Racism - psychology; Residence Characteristics; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - ethnology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Symptoms; Traumatic life events; Urban Environments; Urban Population; Women
• ISSN: 2769-7541; 2769-755X; 2769-755X
• DOI: 10.1037/abn0000818

Black Americans living in urban environments are disproportionately impacted by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both racial discrimination and neighborhood poverty are factors that contribute to this health disparity. However, studies focused on the intersection of these two oppressive systems on PTSD symptoms are lacking. To address this gap in the literature, we assessed the interactive effects of racial discrimination and neighborhood poverty on PTSD symptoms in an urban sample of trauma-exposed Black women (N = 300). Simple moderation analysis was used to assess the main and interactive effects of racial discrimination and neighborhood poverty on PTSD symptoms. The overall model significantly predicted PTSD symptoms, with a main effect of racial discrimination (B = 1.87, p = .009) and neighborhood poverty rate (B = 0.29, p = .008), independent of prior trauma exposure and percentage of Black residents in the zip code. More frequent experiences of racial discrimination and higher rates of neighborhood poverty both predicted higher PTSD symptoms. There was also a trending interaction of racial discrimination and neighborhood poverty (B = −0.05, p = .054), where the effect of neighborhood poverty on PTSD symptoms was only present for those who reported fewer experiences of racial discrimination. Our results suggest that people who have experienced more instances of racial discrimination show high levels of PTSD symptoms regardless of neighborhood poverty rates and highlight the importance of considering multiple levels of oppression that Black individuals face while diagnosing and treating stress-related psychopathology. General Scientific Summary This study demonstrates that experiencing racial discrimination or living in a neighborhood with a high rate of poverty is associated with higher PTSD symptoms in Black women.