Abstract

This dissertation examines the emotional and psychological impact of racial stress on Black women in Missouri using a multi-method, longitudinal approach grounded in Racial Trauma Theory. Racial stress is conceptualized as a multidimensional construct that includes racial trauma, racial violence exposure through social media, and racial discrimination distress. This study addresses gaps in the literature by examining the prevalence of mental health outcomes, emotional responses to these experiences, and the role of racial stressors over time. Using three waves of data, this study assesses the proportion of participants meeting clinical cutoff scores for depression and anxiety using the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised (MAACL-R), evaluates the correspondence between lexicon-based sentiment and emotion classifications and clinical subscale scores, and examines whether baseline racial stressors predict depression and anxiety over time using linear mixed-effects models. Findings indicate that anxiety was highly prevalent across waves, while depression was less common. Sentiment and emotion classifications corresponded with clinical measures, and racial discrimination distress significantly predicted differences in depression over time, whereas other racial stressors were not consistent predictors. These findings highlight the importance of racial stress and underscore the need for culturally responsive approaches to understanding Black women’s mental health.

Committee Chair

Sheretta Butler-Barnes

Committee Members

Husain Lateef; Patrick Fowler; Ruopeng An; Seanna Leath

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Author's Department

Interdisciplinary Programs

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

4-29-2026

Language

English (en)

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