Date of Award

1-1-2022

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School/Department

Department of Psychology

Content Description

1 online resource (iii, 38 pages)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Betty Lin

Committee Members

Elana Gordis

Keywords

autonomic nervous system, electrodermal activity, perceived discrimination, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, stress, Autonomic nervous system, Discrimination, Stress (Psychology)

Subject Categories

Psychology

Abstract

Literature has demonstrated the deleterious effects of discrimination on mental health. For racial and ethnic minorities, discrimination is associated with symptoms of psychopathology, including anxiety and depression. Likewise, women who report gender-based discrimination are at an elevated risk for psychopathology. Scholars have theorized that chronic stress elicited by discrimination throughout one's life contributes to this increase in risk. Indeed, a wealth of research examining the consequences of stressful and potentially traumatic life events (SLEs) on mental health has pointed to physiological dysregulation as a mechanism through which life course stress undermines health. Patterns of physiological dysregulation within the sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) have been observed among SLE-exposed individuals and racial, ethnic, and gender minorities; biological risk factors alone do not account for these findings. The increased risk of psychopathology among individuals with intersecting marginalized identities and the dose-response effects associated with SLE exposure suggest these experiences have an additive impact on mental health. Thus, the present study investigated whether SLEs influence ANS coordination and whether perceived discrimination (based on race, ethnicity, or gender) accounted for additional variance in ANS coordination. Undergraduate students (n = 67, Mage = 19.4 years, 32.8% White) completed validated measures of SLEs, perceived racial and ethnic-based discrimination, and perceived gender-based discrimination. Baseline readings of SNS and PNS activity were gathered prior to questionnaire administration. Multiple regression analyses indicated that neither SLEs nor perceived discrimination significantly impacted SNS and PNS coordination. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.

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