The emotional impact of racial microaggressions within the workplace: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of Black women’s experiences

Abstract

Black women experience disproportionate exposure to racialised stressors, contributing to increased vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and trauma-related distress. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is widely recommended as a first-line intervention for these difficulties; however, limited research has examined its effectiveness and cultural responsiveness for Black women, or how such distress is experienced within everyday contexts. This thesis addresses these gaps through two complementary studies, deliberately sequenced to foreground lived experience before intervention research. This ordering reflects an interpretivist and Black feminist epistemological position, which centres Black women's lived experiences as essential to understanding psychological distress and evaluating the adequacy of existing therapeutic models.

The first study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the emotional impact of racial microaggressions in the workplace experienced by seven Black women. Findings demonstrated that racial microaggressions were experienced as cumulative and psychologically harmful, with participants describing symptoms consistent with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and racial trauma. Accounts also reflected experiences of psychological collapse, suicidal ideation, and the enduring impact of structural and institutional racism on mental health.

The second study comprised a systematic review and narrative synthesis conducted in accordance with Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) guidance, evaluating the effectiveness of CBT interventions for depression and anxiety among Black women. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Across study designs, CBT-based interventions were associated with reductions in depressive and anxiety-related symptoms, with the most consistent evidence observed for depressive outcomes. Anxiety-related findings were more heterogeneous, reflecting variation in clinical presentations and outcome measures. Both culturally adapted and standard CBT interventions demonstrated symptom improvement, although few studies directly compared these approaches, limiting conclusions regarding the added value of cultural adaptation.

Taken together, the findings highlight a critical gap between the individualised focus of CBT outcome research and the structurally embedded nature of distress described by Black women. While CBT may offer symptom relief, current intervention models and evidence bases do not consistently account for the socio-political conditions shaping mental health experiences. The thesis therefore underscores the need for culturally attuned and structurally informed psychological interventions that integrate both symptom-focused approaches and broader understandings of racial harm. Keywords: Black women; depression; anxiety; cognitive behavioural therapy; racial microaggressions; cultural adaptation; racial trauma.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Whitney Nyarambi: orcid.org/0000-0002-7143-0687

ORCID for Sarah Kirby: orcid.org/0000-0003-1759-1356

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