(PS8-70) Effects of Racial Trauma on Daily Reward Responsiveness and Affect

The cumulative impacts of racism negatively impact people of color’s mental health. Racial trauma is a distinct clinical phenomenon of trauma-related symptoms due to ongoing individual and collective experiences of racial discrimination (Comas-Díaz et al., 2019). While racial trauma contributes to increased vigilance and reactivity to trauma-related stressors (Fani et al., 2021; Woody et al., 2022), the impacts of racial trauma on the positive affect system have yet to be fully explicated. Low positive affect [PA], or anhedonia, has been linked to altered reward responsiveness, both in anticipation of (anticipatory) and following receipt of reward (consummatory; Shankman et al., 2014). Additionally, few studies have examined the association of racial stress on daily experiences of negative affect (NA). To address this gap, the present study examined associations among racial trauma and indices of both the positive affect system (i.e., anticipatory and consummatory reward responsiveness and daily PA) and NA using ecological momentary assessment across one week.

Seventy-three undergraduate students completed baseline questionnaires assessing depression (Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale, depression subscale [DASS-D]), anxiety (Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale, anxiety subscale [DASS-A]), racial trauma, (Racial Trauma Scale [RTS]), PA (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, PANAS-PA), and NA (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, PANAS-NA). Participants then completed daily diary questionnaires 3 times per day for 7 days assessing anticipatory (RRA) and consummatory (RRC) reward responsiveness and PA and NA. Linear mixed models (LMM) were conducted to explore associations between baseline RTS with RRA, RRC, PA, and NA across the daily diary paradigm.

Pearson correlations revealed significant associations between RTS and DASS-D (r = .27, p <.05), DASS-A (r = .29, p < .05), and PANAS-NA (r = .29, p < .05). Baseline RTS significantly predicted decreased RRC (β = -0.03, t (291.37) = -2.82, p < .05) but did not predict RRA across one week. Analyses also found that increased RTS significantly predicted daily experiences of increased NA, β = 0.03, t (160.29) = 4.23, p < .001, but not PA.

Results demonstrate significant associations between racial trauma, mood, and consummatory reward responsiveness, indicating that individuals who experience higher levels of racial trauma may experience greater depressive and anxious symptoms, less pleasure in response to daily rewards, and greater NA, but not PA. In particular, these findings highlight consummatory reward responsiveness and daily experiences of NA as important treatment targets for people of color experiencing racial trauma to increase emotional well-being and mental health outcomes.