Perceptions of and responses to racism among black women: The results of the telephone-administered perceived racism scale

PURPOSE: To describe the perceptions of and responses to racism among working Black women in the Uterine Fibroid Study. METHODS: A set of psychometrically-tested questions that make up the Telephone-Administered Perceived Racism Scale (TPRS) was administered to 476 randomly selected members of an urban HMO. RESULTS: The vast majority of respondents reported personal experiences of racial discrimination as well as discrimination toward Blacks as a group. For example, 93% “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that Blacks are followed or watched while shopping because of their race, and 68% reported personally experiencing this discrimination. A high proportion also reported concern for their children because of their race (e.g., 86% were “moderately concerned” or “very concerned” about possible police harassment). Higher levels of perceived racism were not associated with income or education. Strong emotional responses to racism were often reported, and though more respondents reported experiencing very strong active emotions including anger (41%), a substantial group (16%) reported experiencing very strong passive emotions such as powerlessness. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high prevalence of perceived racism, research on racial disparities in health should consider the role that racism as a chronic stressor might play as a risk factor for adverse health outcomes.