Multiracial Young Adult's Experiences of Racial Microaggressions and Coping Strategies

Background and Purpose: Multiracial Americans are challenging traditional notions of race and have become the fastest growing racial group in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Between the 2010 and the 2020 Census, the number of persons reporting two or more races rose by 276%. The Multiracial population was measured at 9 million people in 2010 and 33.8 million people in 2020, the largest increase of any racial group in the U.S. However, little research exists on the everyday racialized experiences of Multiracial people. While microaggression research has been critiqued for failing to include the experiences of Multiracial people, researchers have only recently begun to document the unique microaggression experiences of Multiracial populations. The authors study adds to this literature examining Multiracial young adults’ experiences with racial microaggressions and coping strategies.

Methods: Participants for individual interviews (n=30) and a focus group (n=4) were recruited in the San Francisco Bay Area, Southeastern Michigan, and Honolulu, Hawai’i via fliers, community referrals, and announcements in various community, local organizations and social networking sites. The largest participant racial and ethnic identities were Latino/White (28%), Black/White (25%), Asian/White (25%). Participant ages ranged from 23-40 and 75% of the sample identified as lower or middle income. Participants were asked about their microaggression experiences, including type of microaggresssion and microaggression perpetrator (i.e. family, peers, community). The interviews were audio-taped and transcribed by a professional transcription company. The classic manual content analysis of the transcribed interviews followed a six-step data analysis procedure.

Results: Racial microaggressions experienced by participants included: microassaults (i.e dehumanization of mixed race people), microinsults (i.e. stereotyping of minority racial group), and microinvalidations (i.e. racial identity assignment, denial of racial identities, isolation/exclusion from racial groups). Coping strategies included: asserting/embracing racial identities, racial identity development, racial non-conformity/fluidity, passive/cognitive-focused coping, and active/solution-focused coping. Asian/White participants reported racial microaggressions mostly in school or at work and from friends. Black/White participants revealed racial microaggressions mostly from the public and Latino/White participants described racial microaggression experiences from the public and from friends. A unique racialized experience for Multiracial populations were the microaggressions experienced from their own families. One-half of Latino/White participants, one-third of Black/white participants, and a one-fourth of Asian/White participants reported experiencing racial microaggressions from their family members.

Conclusions and Implications: Social work education and practice recommendations include the inclusion of Multiracial voices in social work education, as well as the creation of spaces for Multiracial communities to discuss their unique racialized experiences. Authors highlight the importance of allowing Multiracial people to self-identify and for clinicians to learn about the unique racialized experiences of Multiracial populations, such as the challenge of managing racism from family members. Due to Multiracial adults having a higher likelihood of meeting criteria for both a mental illness and a substance use disorder than other racial groups, studies exploring the psychological effects of racial microaggressions should consider in-depth examinations of coping strategies among Multiracial populations and psychosocial outcomes: such as impacts on self-esteem, substance use, and rates of depression and anxiety.