Presenter(s)

• Rochelle Goins, Student, ISU
• Brea Banks, Assistant Professor, ISU

Abstract

Research suggests that racially marginalized adolescents experience racial microinvalidation (RMI), a type of racial microaggression, in high school (Aquino & Budescu, 2021). However, there is little information regarding the impact of these experiences on racially minoritized adolescent mental health. Thus, we investigated the relation between exposure to color- and power-evasive RMIs enacted by school personnel and adolescent mental health (i.e., depression and anxiety). We found that racial centrality weakens the relation between exposure to power-evasive RMIs and depression. We also discovered that exposure to power-evasive RMIs significantly predicts social support seeking.