Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0002-8148-722X

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Michelle Roley-Roberts

Committee Member

Nicholas Turiano

Committee Member

Kevin Larkin

Abstract

Racial discrimination is recognized as a race-based traumatic stressor that has been associated with posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and suicide ideation (SI). However, there remains a paucity of research investigating the impact of racial and other forms of discrimination on understudied populations, including Black Americans residing in Appalachian regions. The current study used an online self-report survey to examine PTSS as a mediator in the association between perceived discrimination and SI and to examine the moderating effect of the number of identity factors with which one experienced discrimination (i.e., race, gender, region) on the relationship between perceived discrimination and PTSS. Additionally, exploratory analyses were conducted to compare perceived discrimination, PTSS, and SI between Black individuals who identified as Appalachian and those who did not. Results indicated that PTSS did not significantly mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and SI. Further, the number of discriminated identity factors did not significantly moderate the relationship between perceived discrimination and PTSS, although perceived discrimination significantly and positively predicted PTSS scores after accounting for sex. Exploratory analyses indicated no significant differences in perceived discrimination or PTSS by self-identified Appalachian identity—SI could not be tested due to a small sample size. These findings increase the current understanding of how experiences regarding intersecting identities of perceived discrimination relate to mental health outcomes. Future studies with a larger sample size may provide more robust findings, since the current study’s small sample size and underpowered analyses likely limited the detection of effects. In doing so, future research may also assist with the development of culturally tailored interventions addressing PTSS and SI among Black Americans living in Appalachian regions.

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