A Structural Model Examining Racism, Stress, and Psychological Symptoms Among Arab American Adolescents

Objective: Previous minority stress scholarship has investigated racism as both a constituent to stress and as an independent psychosocial stressor. It is generally understood that experiences of racism operate differently to affect mental health outcomes compared to general life stress. Racism is consistently implicated in poor psychological health outcomes among Arab Americans. Experiences of racism may be particularly harmful among Arab American adolescents who are in a critical developmental period. This study tested a minority stress framework among Arab American adolescents by examining the association between racism and psychological symptoms both directly and indirectly via stress. Method: The sample included 223 Arab American adolescents whose ages ranged from 13 to 18 (M = 15.63, SD = 1.26; 51.1% boys; 49.3% Lebanese) drawn from the Detroit metropolitan area. Participants responded to measures of racism, stress, and internalizing and externalizing psychological symptoms. Results: The structural equation model provided good model fit to the data and indirect effects testing showed that the association between racism and psychological symptoms via general stress was statistically significant (z = 3.48, p < .001). Greater racism was associated with more psychological symptoms in the presence and absence of general stress. The magnitude of the association between racism and psychological symptoms was attenuated with stress included in the model. The association remained statistically significant and reasonably robust. Conclusions: Findings support racism as both a unique construct and an adjunct to general stress that is positively correlated with psychological symptoms among Arab American adolescents. Public Significance Statement Experiences of racism both magnify and operate separate from general life stress. Both suppositions were supported in this study of Arab American adolescents. Racism was positively associated with psychological symptoms both in the presence and absence of general stress. Findings provide empirical support for a fundamental minority stress process among Arab American adolescents.