Experiences with stigma-induced identity threats (SIIT) – threats of discrimination based on a marginalized social identity – are associated with a wide array of negative consequences, like drops in self-esteem or greater risk for anxiety. However, to date, SIIT research has not done enough to center our understanding of intersectionality, the theory that the individual experience is shaped by the multiple interlocking social identities. There is reason to believe that intersectional SIITs may affect an individual’s mental health in a different way compared to SIITs that attack a single identity. Beale (1979) proposed the double jeopardy hypothesis which posits that the adverse effects associated with SIITs accumulate for individuals who possess more than one stigmatized identity. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relatively unexplored area of intersectional SIITs by experimentally testing the double jeopardy hypothesis set forth by Beale. To do so, 727 Black women read a fake article highlighting discrimination against either Black people, women, specifically Black women, or Innuit people. Participants then completed three scales aimed at measuring self-esteem, depressed affect, and hostile affect. Results did not support our hypotheses. The only significant result reported concerned the hostility subscale. The participants in the race condition recorded significantly higher levels of hostility compared to the gender condition. One possible explanation for the unexpected results could be attributed to the current social climate. It is likely that the national discourse on racial justice over the past year has made racial inequalities more salient for our Black participants. This would limit the impact of our article manipulation on discrimination concerns. Further studies should consider more contextually informed ways to measure identity threats in Black populations. Future work may also consider examining intersectional SIITs in groups for whom such inequalities are not so salient.
Author: Jackson Heitt
Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Hunger, Psychology
Graduate Student Advisor: Alejandro Trujillo, Psychology
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