About

Jioni A. Lewis is a professor whose research focuses on social identity, stigma, discrimination, and stereotypes, particularly concerning lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations. Her work explores the experiences of individuals from stigmatized groups and examines attitudes and behaviors toward these groups. Her research interests include understanding the psychological and social processes affecting LGB individuals, with an emphasis on identity development, mental health, and resilience. She is involved in various studies related to LGBT mental health, internalized homonegativity, and the intersectionality of marginalized identities, contributing to the broader understanding of how social and systemic factors influence well-being and community cohesion among sexual minorities.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Political Science
• Gender studies
• Psychology
• Psychotherapist
• Social psychology
• Developmental psychology

Selected publications

• Do gendered racial microaggressions predict hypervigilance over and above racial microaggressions among college-aged Black women over time?

  American Journal of Orthopsychiatry · 2026-03-09

  article

  Although there has been an increase in research on Black women and microaggressions, the purpose of this study was to examine the relations between two types of microaggressions-racial and gendered racial microaggressions-and hypervigilance, a known symptom of anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder. We were also interested in whether gendered racial microaggressions accounted for variance over and above racial microaggressions in predicting hypervigilance in Black women both cross-sectionally and over time. Participants were 236 Black women in the Midwest who completed this study in a research laboratory. Results from a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that gendered racial microaggressions predicted variance in hypervigilance over and above the effect of racial microaggressions over time. This study highlights the incremental impact of gendered racial microaggressions-a type of intersectional stressor-on hypervigilance over and above what could be explained by racial microaggressions alone, which further supports the value of using intersectional frameworks and measures when conducting research on Black women's health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• The Online Gendered Racism Scale for Women of Color: Development, validation, and links to mental health outcomes.

  Journal of Counseling Psychology · 2026-03-19 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  = 424) factor analyses yielded a three-factor structure and produced a 26-item scale with the following subscales: (a) Direct Gendered Racist Cyberaggression (12 items), (b) Vicarious Gendered Racist Cyberaggression (10 items), and (c) Gendered Racist Online Media (four items). Internal consistency estimates ranged from .86 to .96 and the OGRS-WoC accounted for 61.2% of the variance. An analysis of a second-order model indicated that using a total scale score is also viable. Preliminary evidence of construct validity emerged, as OGRS-WoC scores correlated with measures of offline discrimination, gendered racial microaggressions, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and resilience, aligning with theoretical frameworks and empirical findings. We found strong psychometric evidence of OGRS-WoC in assessing online gendered racism for women of color. We discuss future directions for research and practice recommendations based on the OGRS-WoC. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Gendered Racism and Mental Health: A Test of the Mediating and Moderating Role of the Superwoman/Strong Black Woman Schema and John Henryism

  Sex Roles · 2026-02-01

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• Beyond Surviving: Black Women’s Flourishing in the Face of Gendered Racial Microaggressions

  The Counseling Psychologist · 2025-10-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Black women thrive and experience psychological well-being despite facing gendered racism and microaggressions. Although research highlights the negative impact of microaggressions on mental health, the connection to flourishing remains underexplored. This study utilized the intersectional biopsychosocial model of gendered racism, focusing on associations between gendered racial microaggressions, womanist attitudes, engagement coping strategies (resistance and education/advocacy), and flourishing among 238 Black women ( Mage = 37.8, SD = 13.1). Results indicated that experiencing a greater frequency of gendered racial microaggressions was linked to decreased flourishing, with education/advocacy coping partially mediating this association. In addition, womanist attitudes did not moderate the indirect association between gendered racial microaggressions, engagement coping strategies, and flourishing. Findings underscore the potential role of education/advocacy as an adaptive coping strategy, highlighting the importance of strengths-based approaches in promoting positive well-being for Black women facing gendered racism.

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• Celebrating the 50 ^th Anniversary of the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Women in Psychology

  Women & Therapy · 2025-07-03 · 1 citations

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• Effects of Gendered Racial Microaggressions and Racial Private Regard on Cognitive Inhibition in Black Women

  Sex Roles · 2025-12-01

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• Advancing Toward the Psychology of Black Women: Honoring the Past, Present, and Future

  Women & Therapy · 2025-07-04

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• Shifting Towards a Critical Racial Health Equity Lens in Research with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color: Introduction to the Special Issue

  Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion · 2024-08-29 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) experience disproportionate health disparities due to health inequities—systematic disparities that are considered unjust, unfair, or avoidable and are a direct result of historical and contemporary social injustices. For BIPOC communities, health inequities stem from systemic racism that intersects with other systems of oppression that drive synergistic stress experiences that further restrict access to critical resources tied to health outcomes. While social determinants of health have long been part of the broader scope of health disparities research, calls to center health equity have increased. We call on health disparities researchers to strive to disrupt systemic racism through a focus on health equity. We believe that health disparities research should incorporate a more critical, social justice, and equity-minded lens to center the sociocultural contexts and lived experiences of BIPOC communities, uplift culturally informed and strengths-based interventions, and develop preventative methods to ameliorate and disrupt racial health inequities in the United States and globally. In this introduction, we briefly highlight the set of articles included in this special issue that showcase a diverse range of cutting-edge and innovative research centering on BIPOC communities. In addition, we offer nine recommendations to shift toward a more critical, intersectional, and social justice-oriented lens in health disparities research.

  PublisherDOI

• Integrating Social Justice, Black Feminist, and Radical Healing Mentoring

  2024-04-23

  book-chapter

  In this chapter, three Black women counseling psychology professors discuss their transformational approach to social justice mentoring. The chapter begins with their positionality and reflexivity. Then, the chapter highlights the core aspects of their social justice mentoring approach, which also integrates a Black feminist and intersectionality lens and a radical healing framework. The chapter presents ten recommendations for future and current early career mentors. The recommendations emerged from an intergenerational conversation among the three authors about their mentoring approaches. The discussion was informed by their dynamic and evolving professional-personal relationship spanning over 15 years, moving from a traditional mentoring relationship to collaborators and intergenerational peers.

  PublisherDOI

• Double-Edged Sword or Outright Harmful?: Associations Between Strong Black Woman Schema and Resilience, Self-Efficacy, and Flourishing

  Sex Roles · 2024-08-05 · 15 citations

  articleSenior author
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Frequent coauthors

• Helen A. Neville

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  16 shared

• Ruby Mendenhall

  Illinois College

  10 shared

• Stacy Anne Harwood

  10 shared

• Margaret Browne Huntt

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  9 shared

• Lisa B. Spanierman

  7 shared

• Bryana H. French

  University of St. Thomas - Minnesota

  7 shared

• Nayeli Y. Chavez‐Dueñas

  5 shared

• Patrick R. Grzanka

  Knoxville College

  5 shared

Labs

• Social Identity Research TeamPI

  Focuses on manifestations of stigma, discrimination, and stereotypes, particularly with respect to lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people.

Awards & honors

• Current Fellow, American Psychological Association, Society…
• Current Fellow, American Psychological Association, Society…
• Fellow Status, American Psychological Association, Society o…
• Early Career Psychologists Achievement Award, American Psych…
• Fritz & Linn Kuder Early Career Award for Distinguished Scie…