Construction and initial validation of the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale for Black women.

TLDR

Gendered racial microaggressions are subtle, everyday expressions of oppression that arise at the intersection of race and gender, a phenomenon theorized by Essed and Sue et al. The study aimed to create a measure of gendered racial microaggressions for Black women using an intersectionality framework. The Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale (GRMS) was developed to assess frequency and stress appraisal, refined through focus groups and expert panels across two studies. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a four‑factor GRMS that fits well for both frequency and stress appraisal, and the scale correlates positively with existing microaggression and sexism measures and with psychological distress.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of gendered racial microaggressions (i.e., subtle and everyday verbal, behavioral, and environmental expressions of oppression based on the intersection of one's race and gender) experienced by Black women by applying an intersectionality framework to Essed's (1991) theory of gendered racism and Sue, Capodilupo, et al.'s (2007) model of racial microaggressions. The Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale (GRMS), was developed to assess both frequency and stress appraisal of microaggressions, in 2 separate studies. After the initial pool of GRMS items was developed, we received input from a community-based focus group of Black women and an expert panel. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis using a sample of 259 Black women resulted in a multidimensional scale with 4 factors as follows: (a) Assumptions of Beauty and Sexual Objectification, (b) Silenced and Marginalized, (c) Strong Black Woman Stereotype, and (d) Angry Black Woman Stereotype. In Study 2, results of confirmatory factor analyses using an independent sample of 210 Black women suggested that the 4-factor model was a good fit of the data for both the frequency and stress appraisal scales. Supporting construct validity, the GRMS was positively related to the Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale (Nadal, 2011) and the Schedule of Sexist Events (Klonoff & Landrine, 1995). In addition, the GRMS was significantly related to psychological distress, such that greater perceived gendered racial microaggressions were related to greater levels of reported psychological distress. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.