Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Valerie Sessa

Committee Member

Sandra Lewis

Abstract

This dissertation aimed to explore the relationship between demographic diversity and psychological safety within workplace teams, with an additional focus on African American females. Despite extensive research on psychological safety, there is limited understanding of how demographic diversity influences perception of psychological safety within teams and an even more limited understanding of African American females’ perception of psychological safety within teams. The study sought to address this gap by investigating if team similarities and dissimilarities with regards to demographic differences, marginalized identities (moderation), with an emphasis on African American female identity, and microaggressions (mediation) affected individuals’ perceptions of psychological safety within work teams. Guided by social identity theory and underlying theories, this research employed a quantitative approach. Though there were no differences among African American females compared to other demographic groups, the findings demonstrated that microaggressions (both race and gender) decreased perceptions of psychological safety. The evidence provided valuable insights into the explored relationship and suggested practices for the inclusion of diverse individuals and teams.

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