Discrimination Typology and the Proliferation of Secondary Stressors: Conditional Effects of Mastery and Emotional Reliance

• In Event: Resilience in Challenging Times: Insights from the Sociology of Mental Health

Abstract

This study develops a typology that distinguishes discriminatory experiences by proximity (direct vs. vicarious) and chronicity (chronic vs. acute). Using data from a community-based sample of adults and multilevel modeling (N = 950 dyads), we examine how these forms of discrimination contribute to the proliferation of secondary stressors, and how mastery and emotional reliance condition this process. Results show that direct discrimination exerts stronger effects than vicarious on stress proliferation, and the increased effect often found in association with chronic (vs acute) stressors is only present when discrimination is distal, not proximal. The moderating role of mastery and emotional reliance also vary across these intersections, suggesting that psychosocial factors buffer or amplify stress differently depending on exposure type. Overall, the findings provide a more nuanced picture of how discriminatory experiences contribute to stress proliferation and highlight the conditional nature of resilience and vulnerability in the stress process.

Authors

• Jun Zhao, University of South Carolina-Columbia

• Mathew D. Gayman, Georgia State University

• Jennifer A. Simon, Georgia State University