Does Racial Bias Influence Affective and Behavioral Responses to Trauma Disclosure?
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Authors
Meckes, Samantha Jo
Issue Date
2023
Type
Dissertation
Language
Keywords
Disclosure , Intergroup relations , Mimicry , Racial Bias , Sexual Assault , Trauma
Alternative Title
Abstract
This study investigated the impact of survivor and participant racial identity on the behavioral and affective responses to sexual assault disclosures. I implemented a novel approach to measuring disclosure recipient social reactions, measuring participants’ facial expressions of emotion while watching a sexual assault disclosure video. The present study used a 2 (participant racial identity: Black vs white) x 3 (survivor racial identity: Black, white, Asian American) design to examine the impact of intergroup and inter-racial biases on facial expressions, empathy, and positive and negative social reactions, such as offering aid or support versus blaming or distancing. Contrary to hypotheses, I found little evidence for affiliative facial mimicry of survivors, which may have been associated with participants’ motivation to socially distance themselves from the survivor. However, preliminary evidence for intergroup bias was observed for overall facial expressions of disgust and sadness. Notably, most differences in reactions were observed among Black-white dyads, providing some initial evidence for the specificity of this effect. These findings emphasize the importance of considering intergroup dynamics in the context of sexual assault disclosures and the impact of these dynamics on implicit reactions during the disclosure.