Racial/Ethnic Harassment and Discrimination, Its Antecedents, and Its
Effect on Job-Related Outcomes
Mindy E. Bergman
Texas A&M University
Patrick A. Palmieri
Summa Health System
Fritz Drasgow and Alayne J. Ormerod
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
A general model of workplace prejudice acts, their antecedents, and their consequences is proposed and
examined in the context of racial/ethnic harassment and discrimination (REHD). Antecedents proposed
and tested here include context and climate, whereas consequences proposed and tested here include
work, supervisor, and opportunity satisfaction and turnover intentions. The theoretical model is first
tested and cross-validated in two ethnically diverse subsamples (approximately 2,000 each). Then,
hierarchical multigroup modeling was conducted to determine whether the relationships among REHD,
its antecedents, and its outcomes are equivalent across five racial/ethnic groups (N = 1,000 per group)
in the U.S. military. This addresses the issue of differential exposure (i.e., varying amounts of stressors
across groups) versus differential vulnerability (i.e., discrepant impact of a stressor on outcomes across
groups) across racial/ethnic groups. Consistent with expectations, results suggest that although racial/
ethnic groups differ in their mean exposure to REHD, the relationships among REHD and its outcomes
are the same across race/ethnicity, supporting the differential exposure view. In addition, the results show
some differences between antecedents and REHD across race/ethnicity.
Keywords: harassment, discrimination, prejudice, race, ethnicity, psychological climate
Racial/ethnic harassment and discrimination (REHD) refers to
race/ethnicity-based treatment that is unwanted, unwelcome, or
uncomfortable and threatens targets’ well-being at work, as well as
the terms and conditions of their employment (Harrick & Sullivan,
1995; Schneider, Hitlan, & Radhakrishan, 2000). REHD is based
in intergroup prejudice and racism (Bergman, Palmieri, Drasgow,
& Ormerod, 2007; Fiske, 1998; Tajfel & Turner, 1985), whereby
people tend to show favoritism toward their in-groups and to
derogate, dislike, and exclude members of other groups, especially
when those out-group members are ethnic minorities. Such treat-
ment has a negative effect on well-being (Kessler et al., 1999;
Klonoff, Landrine, & Ullman, 1999; Roberts, Swanson, & Mur-
phy, 2004; Sanchez & Brock, 1996; Schneider, Hitlan, & Rad-
hakrishnan, 2000). Few studies have examined race/ethnicity-
based mistreatment in more than two groups (e.g., majority/
minority; White/Black), making it difficult to know whether
REHD is more or less harmful to members of some ethnic groups
compared to others. The two purposes of this article are: (a) to
develop an integrated model of REHD in the workplace; and, (b)
to examine this model across five racial/ethnic groups to determine
whether the antecedents and consequences of REHD are the same
across racial/ethnic groups. Hypotheses are tested in a large sample
of U.S. military personnel. To that end, we first begin by elabo-
rating on the theoretical model of REHD as an organizational
stressor. Then, we turn to the question of whether ethnic groups
differentially experience REHD.
REHD as an Organizational Stressor
Race/ethnicity-based prejudiced acts have long been recognized
as stressors (Clark, Anderson, Clark, & Williams, 1999; Harrell,
2000; Roberts et al., 2004; Schneider et al., 2000; Sue et al., 2007).
Consistent with stress theories (Kahn & Byosiere, 1992; Lazarus &
Folkman, 1984), workplace harassment and discrimination have
negative consequences for job-related well-being, such as job
attitudes and turnover intentions (Ragins & Cornwell, 2001; Rob-
erts et al., 2004; Schneider et al., 2000; Willness, Steel, & Lee,
2007). In the sexual harassment literature, Fitzgerald, Hulin, and
Drasgow (1995) proposed an “integrated model” of workplace
sexual harassment, arguing that (a) sexual harassment is a stressor;
(b) being targeted for sexual harassment is a function of both
person and situation variables; and (c) targets’ reactions to sexual
harassment are also a function of both person and situation factors.
Mindy E. Bergman, Department of Psychology, Texas A&M Univer-
sity; Patrick A. Palmieri, Center for the Treatment and Study of Traumatic
Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Summa Health System; Fritz Drasgow
and Alayne J. Ormerod, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois
at Urbana–Champaign.
Portions of this article were presented at the 16th Annual Conference of
the Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, San Diego, CA, April
2001. This work was supported in part by the Defense Manpower Data
Center (DMDC) through contracts DASW01-97-C-0076/7. The opinions in
this article are those of the authors and are not to be construed as an official
DMDC or Department of Defense position unless so designated by other
authorized documents.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Mindy E.
Bergman, Texas A&M University. E-mail: mindybergman@tamu.edu
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology © 2012 American Psychological Association
2012, Vol. 17, No. 1, 65–78 1076-8998/12/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0026430
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