Coping with racial microaggressions: the moderating effects of parenting style

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between race-related stress and coping strategies, and to examine the influence that parenting style has on coping with race-related stress specifically elicited by racial microaggressions. Literature suggests that parenting style influences various aspects of behavior throughout one's lifetime, including coping tendencies. However, there is a dearth of research which examines how parenting styles (Baumrind, 1966, 1971; Maccoby & Martin, 1983) moderate coping strategies that racial/ethnic minorities use to cope with race-related stress induced by racial microaggressions, a contemporary, prevalent, and chronic form of racism. This study addresses this gap in research by studying how parenting style effects coping strategies used by adults (N=263) for race-related stress related to racial microaggressions. The study consisted of self-report data collected from an online survey. Most participants were undergraduate students recruited through a University research pool. Regression analyses indicated that authoritative parenting moderated the relationship between race-related stress and coping with discrimination. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.