Internalized Racial Oppression as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Experiences of Racial Discrimination and Mental Distress Among Asians and Pacific Islanders

This brief report examined the relationship of racial/ethnic discrimination and internalized racial oppression with mental distress in a sample of Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) in Alaska, where APIs compose the third largest racial group after Whites and Native Americans/Alaska Natives. Methods involved a cross-sectional, self-administered survey of 225 adult APIs in three Alaskan communities with large API populations. A subsample of the respondents who experienced racial/ethnic discrimination (n = 123) was then selected to assess associations among mental distress, racial/ethnic discrimination, various manifestations of internalized racial oppression, and social support. The potential interaction between racial/ethnic discrimination and internalized inferiority (one manifestation of internalized oppression) in predicting mental distress was also tested. Results show that both racial/ethnic discrimination, r =.32, p <.01, and internalized inferiority, r =.22, p <.05, had a significant positive correlation with mental distress. Regression analysis indicates a significant interaction between racial/ethnic discrimination and internalized inferiority when predicting mental distress (beta=0.83, p <.001). This interaction suggests that with increasing levels of internalized inferiority, the link between racial/ethnic discrimination and mental distress was amplified. Future research implications are discussed. What is the public significance of this article? This brief report explored one potential factor that may influence the link between experiences of racism and mental health among Asians and Pacific Islanders. The results suggest that Asians and Pacific Islanders who tend to internalize the racism are more mentally distressed by their experiences of racism.