EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF GENDERED RACIAL MICROAGGRESSIONS ON ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S WELL-BEING: AN INTERSECTIONAL APPROACH

Abstract

Despite a growing body of literature on the link between gendered racism and mental health among underrepresented racial/ethnic minority women (e.g., Lewis et al., 2017; Rosenthal & Lobel, 2020), limited research has focused specifically on Asian American college women, who represent the largest gendered racial group enrolling in U.S. colleges each year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Furthermore, to our knowledge, no studies have explored potential mediating and moderating variables that may serve as key mechanisms or interactive factors in understanding the relationship between gendered racial microaggressions and Asian American college women’s psychological well-being. Grounded in intersectionality theory (Crenshaw, 2013) and the biopsychosocial model of gendered racism (Lewis, 2023), the present study extends previous research by examining the link between gendered racial microaggressions and psychological well-being as mediated by impostor feelings and shifting strategies and moderated by the internalized model minority myth. A total of 584 Asian American college women from across the United States completed an online survey assessing key study variables. Mediation analyses showed that impostor feelings significantly mediated the association between gendered racial microaggressions and psychological well-being whereas shifting strategies did not. Moderation analyses indicated that high internalization of the model minority myth associated with achievement orientation moderated the link between gendered racial microaggressions and psychological well-being. Additionally, internalization of the model minority myth related to achievement orientation moderated the direct association between gendered racial microaggressions and the use of White beauty conforming shifting strategies, whereas internalization of the model minority myth related to unrestricted mobility moderated the direct association between gendered racial microaggressions and the use of bicultural shifting strategies. Moderated mediation analyses with impostor feelings and shifting strategies were not significant. These findings highlight impostor feelings as a salient mechanism underlying the psychological ramifications of gendered racial microaggressions and the potential psychological risks associated with the internalized model minority myth among Asian American college women. They further indicate the need for continued research examining shifting strategies within the context of Asian American college women’s lived experiences of gendered racism. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.