Experiences of Racial Discrimination Among Disadvantaged Young Adults : A Mixed Methods Study

Purpose: Disadvantaged adolescents face difficulty achieving even basic needs as they transition to the roles and responsibilities of adulthood. Racial minority young adults are especially likely to be unemployed, not in school, and living in poverty; unsurprising given the established link between race and poverty. Both poverty and racial discrimination are known risk factors for adverse physical, emotional, and behavioral outcomes that occur in alarming rates among young adults. Although poverty is rightly implicated in causing racial disparities across these outcomes, research is clear that poverty does not entirely account for racial disparities. Little is understood about the mechanisms by which racial discrimination contributes to poverty and associated negative outcomes. This study explored the prevalence and perceptions of racial discrimination as a barrier to success and well-being in a sample of disenfranchised young adults. Focus was given to small, subtle, everyday experiences of discrimination called microaggressions. Research suggests microaggression may be particularly harmful, but has not yet been investigated in relationship to poverty.

Methods: The study applied a cross-sectional concurrent transformative mixed methods design with a convenience sample of young adults (ages 17-35; 54% African-American, 32% White, and 14% Multiracial)who had not achieved high school equivalence and were recruited in workforce preparation agencies. All participants (N= 56) completed surveys and 23 participated in focus groups. Data were responses from the Revised 28-Item Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale (R28REMS) and all qualitative data containing mentions of race. Descriptive analysis and ANOVAs were conducted. Focus group data were analyzed through inductive content analysis using constant comparative methods. Quantitative and qualitative findings were integrated in the interpretation stage of analysis.

Results: R28REMS means were highest for the Multiracial participants, followed by the African-American and White groups. ANOVAs found significant main effects for the R28REMS and three of the subscales. Post-hoc comparisons found no differences between the African-American and Multiracial group scores. Significantly greater means were found for African-American and Multiracial groups than White participants on most subscales. Qualitative analysis resulted in 7 themes: racism does exist, context, negative assumptions, police contact, white experiences, internal response, and do about it. Participants described discriminatory experiences, both microaggressions and more overt forms, throughout the social ecology. Prejudice was perceived as always under the surface. Race and poverty were inextricably linked in participants' struggles to establish stability. Numerous accounts of racial harassment from police officers occurred in the data. White experiences depicted loss of privilege. There were a range of coping responses to discriminatory experiences.

Implications: This study contributes to understandings of the prevalence and dynamics of racial discrimination in the lived experiences of disconnected and disadvantaged young adults. Reports of discriminatory experiences in social service agencies points to the importance for training and intervention to prevent discriminatory practices. Training and tools to assess the impacts of discrimination in disconnected young adults' struggles to establish well-being are also needed. Microaggression helps explain how racism is perpetuated. Racial group differences in microaggressions indicate value in researching the influences of racial identity in the impacts of discrimination experiences.