Weathering the storm: how attachment and gender influence coping with racial discrimination

Racial-ethnic microaggressions (REMS) are subtle forms of racial discrimination that negatively affect an individual's mental health. Black individuals often employ diverse coping strategies to navigate these experiences to mitigate the effects of sociocultural stress. However, less research has explored the role of parental influence on the link between REMS and coping strategies. Therefore, the current study examines the association between REMS and collective coping or expressive suppression using parental attachment security as a moderator. Data for this study was drawn from a cross-sectional sample of Black emerging adults ( N = 230; M age = 19.99, 69.1% female, 73.9% immigrant-origin background) who attended universities in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Findings revealed that emerging adults with strong maternal bonds were more likely to use adaptive coping responses (i.e., collective coping), suggesting that secure mother–youth attachment can help protect against the negative effects of racial stress. However, low father–youth attachment and low mother–youth attachment strengthened the link between racial-ethnic microaggressions and expressive suppression, suggesting that weak attachment bonds with both fathers and mothers may increase an individual's propensity to suppress their emotions in response to racial discrimination. Cumulatively, these findings suggest that fostering positive parent-youth attachments may be instrumental in helping youth cope effectively with race-based stress.