Dissertation defense: 'The Sexist MESS' by Annie Derthick, Oct. 30

Friday, Oct. 30, 12-1 p.m. Social Science Building, Room 302

Annie Derthick, M.A., M.S., will defend her thesis, "The Sexist MESS: Development and initial validation of the Sexist Microaggressions Experiences and Stress Scale and the relationship between sexist microaggressions and women's mental health."

Abstract: Sexist microaggressions refer to subtle communications of hostility and discrimination toward women. These experiences are often difficult to detect, but they have the potential for harmful mental health outcomes. Therefore, this study developed a quantitative measure of sexist microaggressions and conducted initial exploratory factor analyses as well as reliability and validity testing on that measure. Then, the resulting measure was used to explore the statistical relationships of sexist microaggressions and various indicators of mental health. Results suggest that sexist microaggressions are significantly correlated with psychological distress, including anxiety and some features of depression. Additionally, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis suggests that sexist microaggressions account for unique variance in mental health--above and beyond other known indicators of mental health--meaning that sexist microaggressions are an important factor to consider in the conceptualization and treatment of women's mental health.

Please contact Annie Derthick at aoderthick@alaska.edu for additional information

October Archive