The moderating effect of dispositional forgiveness on perceived racial discrimination and depression for African American adults.

Objectives: Perceived racial discrimination is associated with depressive symptoms for African American adults; however, insight to protective factors for racism and depression in African Americans is limited. While current research suggests that dispositional forgiveness is an important factor in how people perceive and cope with interpersonal transgressions, few studies have examined its role in the context of racial discrimination. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effect of forgiveness (beyond broader internalized religiosity) on the association between perceived racial discrimination and depressive symptoms in African American adults. Method: Sample included 101 African American adults (60.2% female; Mage = 21.90 years, SD = 4.93 years) who endorsed experiences of racial discrimination. Participants completed a questionnaire battery consisting of self-report measures of perceived experiences of racial discrimination, depression, dispositional forgiveness, and intrinsic religiosity. Results: Regression analyses showed dispositional forgiveness moderated the association between perceived racial discrimination and symptoms of depression above and beyond intrinsic religiosity (β = −.05, 95% CI [−.10, −.05], p

Source: Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology - June 15, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research