OBJECTIVE: The impacts of racial trauma are pervasive, and race-based traumatic stress overlaps with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, research has also suggested that some events that cause race-based traumatic stress may not align with current definitions of trauma, and questions remain on the role of racial identity. This study extends the literature by comparing race-based and nonrace-based trauma on symptom outcomes, within the context of racial identity. METHOD: = 175) with lifetime trauma exposure, approximately half (54.3%) of whom were female. Participants completed an online survey, which included measures of trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, trauma symptoms of discrimination, and racial identity. Hierarchical linear regressions and moderations were performed to examine the relative influence of trauma type and racial identity on symptoms. RESULTS: Compared with nonrace-based traumas, race-based index traumas were associated with greater trauma symptoms of discrimination but not PTSD symptoms. Racial identity dimensions of ideology and centrality moderated the relations between race-based index trauma with PTSD symptoms and trauma symptoms of discrimination, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight how race-based traumas align with criterion A traumas and impact mental health beyond PTSD symptoms. Findings also elucidate the role of racial identity, particularly ideology and centrality, in understanding the nuanced mental health impacts of trauma exposure. This research can inform more relevant, culturally salient treatments and underscores the urgent need for structural-level interventions that reduce the incidence of racial trauma, promoting social justice and equity for marginalized communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Bauer et al. (Mon,) studied this question.