Internet-Based Microaggressions, Mental Health, and Stress: Instrument Validation and Analysis

Objectives: As technology increasingly mediates the ways we communicate, learn, and work, it is important to understand how interactions within digital spaces contribute to the reproduction of racism. Much is known about the negative effects of racism, or racial microaggressions, on health and mental health outcomes. Qualitative studies are establishing the ways in which racial microaggressions online are becoming normalized (Eschmann, 2023; Ortiz, 2020), which necessitates serious inquiries into the (1) mental health effects of a range of online microaggressions; (2) the scope and severity of these forms of mistreatment; and (3) the racial distinctions in how groups are harmed through various types of online racism. This paper investigates the effects of online microaggression on health and wellness, validating a new scale: Internet-based Microaggressions Scale (IbMS).

Methods: We draw on a survey gathered from a nationally representative sample of 1,647 participants (Mage = 46, SD = 18), including 885 women, 742 men, 17 non-binary, and 3 other genders. We oversampled for Black, Hispanic, and Asian participants, and 338 participants were Black, 346 Hispanic, 232 Asian, 669 White participants, 4 Native American, 34 multiracial, 23 other, and 1 Middle Eastern. We conducted factor analyses to determine the factor structure of the IbMS and the reliability of each factor. Regression analyses were also performed to examine the association between IbMS subscales (inferiority, aggression, and stereotypical misrepresentations) and the two key outcomes of interest: depression/anxiety and stress.

Results: Findings from the Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested three factors structure of IbMS: Inferiority, Aggression, and Stereotypical Misrepresentations. Each of the three scales had excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.72 to 0.89). Regression analysis showed that greater exposure to online microaggressions was associated with higher reports of depression and stress. We find that experiences with online microaggressions can decrease wellbeing, especially for people of Color.

Conclusions: This research examines the effects of racial microaggressions in and across online contexts, increasing our ability to understand and address how negative interactions nested within these spaces exacerbate disparate mental health outcomes among people of Color. This scale can help researchers, clinicians, industry leaders, and stakeholders identify the precise types and unique impacts of online racial microaggressions and design interventions that will directly address disparate mental health outcomes among people of color.