A&S Research and Creative Activity Award

Congratulations to the following faculty and graduate students whose research projects are receiving funding in fiscal year 2023-24 from the College’s Research and Creative Activity Awards, made possible by $20,000 from the UofL Office of Research and Innovation:

Shequanna Belizaire, Yara Mekawi, PhD and Sara Bufferd, PhD, Psychological and Brain Sciences: “Using a Mindfulness Intervention to Overcome Race-Related Anxiety in White Parents.”

Despite continued evidence of racism in the United States, denial of racism and avoidance of racism discussions are prevalent among White individuals. For change to occur, it is necessary to resist avoidance of having difficult conversations about the full history of race and racism starting in childhood. Indeed, parents have been identified as key contributors to children’s racial socialization given the role they play in their children’s cultural, social and psychological development. Thus, research and interventions focused on White parents are particularly meaningful because they can have numerous downstream consequences regarding the child’s attitudes and behaviors, and subsequently, society at large. One major barrier for White parents discussing race with their children is anxiety resulting from difficulty regulating their emotions in the context of racism discussions. One psychological intervention that has proven to be effective in allowing individuals to regulate their emotions is mindfulness, or the state of being aware of something, typically awareness of the present moment (i.e., surroundings, emotional state) without judgement. A mindfulness intervention focused on bringing awareness to race-related emotional responses may allow White parents to regulate their emotions more effectively and therefore reduce their anxiety about and avoidance of race discussions. However, no studies have tested whether a psychological intervention such as mindfulness can reduce White parents’ anxiety about discussing race. Thus, to address several gaps in the literature, the primary aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a novel mindfulness intervention on White parents’ anxiety regarding race-related discussions with their children. White parents (n=100) will be recruited from the community and randomized to one of two conditions (mindfulness or control) and then will complete a measure of anxiety regarding race-related discussions with their children. If implemented, this study will be the first to test a psychological intervention targeting a critical barrier encountered by White parents in discussing race with their children, which can set the stage for transformative, intergenerational change that has the power to promote equity and begin the process for healing legacies of racism.