HAIR PULLING IN BLACK AND WHITE COLLEGE STUDENTS: UNDERSTANDING CLINICAL DISTRESS AND IMPAIRMENT IN SYMPTOM EXPRESSION AMONG GROUPS

Prior research investigating levels of clinical distress on self-report scales of hair pulling and resulting impairment for Black college students compared to their White counterparts is incomplete. Though existing literature describes comparable rates of hair pulling between ethnic groups, most prior research has assessed pulling in these populations independently. Projects assessing the two groups produced data potentially suggesting that Black college students may not be experiencing perceived symptom severity at levels comparable to their White counterparts. However, no study to date has directly evaluated ethnic differences in hair pulling and resulting symptom severity between Black and White college students. The present study sought to contribute to existing literature by investigating ethnic differences in hair pulling symptom experience, symptom frequency, and resulting severity in an undergraduate student sample of non-clinical hair pullers self-identified as Black (n=52) and White (n=107). A difference in self-reported perceived symptom severity was found between ethnicity in the direction suggested by prior research. Results of serial mediation analyses purporting race mediates perceived symptom severity for Black students via the influence of ethnic identity and resilience, were also significant. Data suggests these two constructs serially mediate the symptom experience for the current project’s minority group, shedding light on cultural factors that may buffer Black women from perceived hair pulling symptom severity.