Examining the Relationship Between Gendered Racial Microaggressions and Psychological Distress during a Worldwide Pandemic

Overview: The negative emotional impact of covert forms of discrimination among an understudied Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) subgroup were examined during the COVID 19 pandemic, unveiling their hidden intersectionality and resiliency. Recommendations for social work practice, policy, education, and research will be provided.Proposal text: As the third largest Asian subgroup, FAs comprise 4.2 million of the Asian population in the United States (Budiman, 2021). Sixty percent of Filipina/x/o immigrants and 51% of native Filipina/x/o are women (United States Census Bureau, 2017). The majority of FAW workers in the United States service sector are essential workers who contribute greatly to the economy, yet they experience gender based discrimination and harassment at work. Of the reported racial acts of hatred against Asian Americans (AA), 62% are experienced by women (Horse et al., 2021). Compared to other Asian subgroups, FAs experience a higher rate of race-based discrimination (Liang et al., 2007). One form of systemic discrimination reported by FA are gendered racial microaggressions. There is a dearth of research examining experienced gendered racial microaggressions specifically among women (Capodilupo et al., 2010; Lewis et al., 2016, 2017). Experiences of microaggressions potentially result in psychological distress, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and traumatic stress symptoms (Moody & Lewis, 2019; Owen et al., 2018; Sue, 2010; Williams, & Lewis, 2019). FA have higher rates of psychological distress, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, depression, and depressive disorder than European-Americans (Tompar-Tiu & Sustento-Seneriches, 1995), and lower rates of help-seeking behavior than the American population in general (Abe-Kim et al., 2004; Sanchez & Gaw, 2007). Depending upon their ethnic subgroup, FAW hold a different perception of mental health, influencing their approach to mental health diagnoses and interventions. Methodologically, most of the research examining gendered racial microaggressions among women were qualitative. Because no other existing studies were identified, this is one of the first studies to examine the relationship between experiences of gendered racial microaggressions and psychological distress among FAW across the lifespan. In order to effectively advocate and promote social justice for FAW, AANHPI women, and minoritized women’s rights, reliable data is crucial in documenting the negative emotional outcomes of interpersonal and systemic forms of discrimination.

Informed by Racial Microaggressions Theory (Sue et al., 2007), this quantitative study’s findings will be discussed, unveiling FAWs hidden intersectionality.

Implications for social work policy, practice, pedagogy, and research comply with several CSWE competencies.
Competency two: Implications for social work policy and the promotion of social justice include addressing increasing attacks and hate crimes on the AANHPI community, and revising cross-national policies between the United States and the Philippines, advocating for policy development and strengthening existing policies for FAW. Implications for social work pedagogy include further humanizing social work curriculum courses specific to Filipino and FAW, AANHPI, minoritized women, and women.

Competencies three and seven: Implications include focusing on the development and application of strategies for addressing the underutilization of mental health services among FAW and other minoritized communities. This includes the provision of mental health services to all, accessible in their native languages. Theories specific to Filipina/x/o and minoritized communities, their cultural and historic background, and intersectionality will be discussed.

Competency eight: Culturally responsive evidence-based interventions to promote collaboration and improve mental health behavior among FA, AANHPI, and minoritized women across the lifespan will be discussed.