Exploring the associations between intersectional discrimination, shame, coping and trauma among Muslim women in Canada

Muslim women living in Canada commonly experience intersecting gender, race, and religious discrimination. Discrimination experiences are shown to instill feelings of shame and have been found to be related to negative mental health outcomes. Thus, to develop more effective support systems for Muslim women, it is important to understand how intersectional experiences of discrimination relate to shame, coping strategies, and psychological well-being among this population. To this end, this study investigated the association between different forms of discriminations and racial trauma among Muslim women living in Canada. Next, it examined whether shame and coping styles mediate this association. A sample of 91 Muslim women living in Canada completed an online survey measuring their discrimination experiences, shame, racial trauma, and coping style. Findings revealed that greater ethnic and gender-based discrimination experiences were significantly related to greater racial trauma symptoms. Further, shame and avoidance coping mediated this association. These results point to the necessity of culturally sensitive mental health intervention specific to Muslim women, one of the most underrepresented and underserved populations in mental health care and research. Treatment approaches should aim to decrease shame and avoidance coping to enhance resilience and psychological well-being for this group.