Do Dysfunctional Attitudes Mediate or Moderate the Association Between Everyday Discrimination and Symptoms of Depression in Adolescents?

Abstract

Abstract We aimed to integrate perceived everyday discrimination into Beck’s cognitive model of depression. Participants included 339 adolescents (M = 14.19, 38.9% female), their majority identified as Black or White. Adolescents completed self-report instruments measuring perceived everyday discrimination, dysfunctional attitudes, and depressive symptoms. Our findings indicated a significant interaction effect between perceived everyday discrimination and dysfunctional attitudes on depressive symptoms. The analysis indicated no mediation effect of dysfunctional attitudes as the indirect effect was nonsignificant. If replicated, our findings highlight the importance of clinicians promoting social change to reduce discrimination and them supporting their clients by validating the unfairness of discrimination, help them to mitigate the negative effects of discrimination, and prepare them to cope with the potential of future discrimination.