Racial Microaggressions and Anti-Racism: A Review of the Literature with Implications for School-Based Interventions and School Psychologists.

Many racial-ethnic minoritized individuals are repeatedly exposed to subtle actions reflecting racial slights, termed racial microaggressions (RMAs), which are associated with adjustment problems in early adult and adult populations. Early adolescence represents a unique developmental period when minoritized youth begin their racial-ethnic identity exploration and are subjected to stereotypes and prejudice, thereby making them vulnerable to RMAs. Based upon the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist, a systematic literature search, screening and review of RMA literature focusing on high schoolers and younger youth was conducted and yielded 54 publications. This paper reviewed the publications and identified gaps in the field such as the need for systematic research on early adolescents including the frequency and severity of RMAs and the important contributions of peers, parents and teachers for RMA victims, and the need for more evidence-based programming for middle schoolers. Findings suggest that developing school-based microaggression anti-racism programs is clearly needed for minoritized and White youth.

Intersectional Microaggressions and Implications for Health Inequities and HIV Among Latino/x Sexual Minority Males in Puerto Rico.

Latino/x sexual minority males (SMM) continue to be disproportionately impacted by health inequities. This study aims to understand the lived experience of Puerto Rican (PR) SMM related to how intersectional microaggressions influence health-related risk and protective factors. Young adult (ages 21-30) PR SMM from San Juan, Puerto Rico, completed a bilingual in-depth individual interview (14 in Spanish and 1 in English). A thematic analysis based on the original language of the interviews was conducted using NVivo. Six prominent themes were identified through the data analysis: (1) religious microaggressions, being gay is bad because God doesn't like it; (2) gender microaggressions, gay is not good because it's not for men; (3) sexuality microaggressions, this one is a homosexual, coming out as a sexual minority; (4) trans microaggressions, drag queens create an illusion; (5) internalized microaggressions, battling with internalized homophobia; and (6) mitigating microaggressions, establishing a supportive community. Findings suggest that multiple forms of microaggressions based on the intersectionality of sexuality and gender manifest from straight as well as gay communities. PR SMM demonstrated their resiliency by assessing interactions with others to mitigate risks and enhance supportive networks.

Microaggressions in veterinary communication: what are they? How are they harmful? What can veterinary professionals and educators do?

Trusting relationships between veterinary professionals and clients are important for the well-being of people and the ultimate health of their animals. Yet, microaggressions pose a threat to these relationships. Defined as slights or indignities wielded against people with marginalized identities, microaggressions inflict a unique form of harm that reaffirms negative stereotypes enmeshed in systems of racism, sexism, classism, and beyond. In this article, we explore how microaggressions work and how they are applicable in veterinary settings. We also offer initial suggestions for veterinary professionals and educators to better understand and counteract their damage in the profession.

Microaggressions and the reproduction of social inequalities in medical encounters in Mexico.

This article examines the role of microaggressions in the interactions between biomedical personnel and marginalized patients to addresses the constitutive property of medical interactions and their contribution to a class-differentiated and discriminatory local social world. Based on ethnographic fieldwork over the course of three months (2008-2011) the study examined the clinical relationships between obstetric patients and clinicians in a public hospital in the city of Puebla, Mexico. It reveals four factors present in the social hierarchies in Mexico that predispose clinicians to callous interactions toward "problematic others" in society, resulting in microaggressions within clinical encounters: (a) perceptions of suitability for good motherhood; (b) moralized versions of modern motherhood inscribed on patient bodies; (c) a priori assumptions about the hypersexuality of low-income women; and (d) clinician frustration exacerbated by overwork resulting in corporeal violence. This work concludes by questioning the efforts for universal health rights that do not address underlying social and economic inequities.