Date of Award
8-1-2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Habib, Reza
Second Advisor
Sahu, Ankita
Abstract
Internalized racism has been defined as the adoption of negative stereotypes related to one’s racial/ethnic group and associated with psychological distress. There is little research on the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on diverse populations, but recent intervention studies have indicated that psychological flexibility may counter the negative psychological effects of self-stigma. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between internalized racism, psychological flexibility, and psychological distress and life satisfaction among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Self-report data was collected using Qualtrics with prospective participants recruited from a large public university in the Midwest and MTurk. PROCESS macro in SPSS was used to examine how internalized racism, psychological flexibility, and a two-way interaction between internalized racism and psychological flexibility explain variance in psychological outcomes. Results showed a main effect for internalized racism on psychological distress, and psychological flexibility moderated this association. However, the direction of this moderation countered the hypothesized prediction. Additionally, there was no association between internalized racism and life satisfaction. This study explored possible explanations for these mixed results, including a discussion of limitations, implications, and directions for future research.
Access
This dissertation is Open Access and may be downloaded by anyone.