Barrita joined the MSU Dean’s Research Associate postdoctoral program in 2024 after earning his PhD from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Psychological and Brain Sciences program. His degree had an emphasis on Social, Community, and Quantitative Psychology methods, which he continues to utilize as a researcher. Barrita’s research focuses on the psychological impact of everyday forms of discrimination, primarily microaggressions, and how these impact individuals from underserved communities. He also examines some of the counterproductive coping methods associated with experiences of discrimination and the ways in which these can inform best practices for treatment of both mental and physical health.
Born in Mexico City, Barrita came to the United States when he was 16 years old. His family followed his father, who immigrated when Barrita was young in order to better provide for his family, to Los Angeles, California. A few years into adulthood and the workforce, Barrita made the decision to earn a college degree. After several courses at a local community college, his interest was piqued by a general education psychology class, so much so that he changed his degree to psychology and transferred into a four-year college, UC Berkeley.
At UC Berkeley, Barrita enjoyed conducting undergraduate research and decided to utilize his skills after graduation as a case manager at a substance use rehabilitation center. While he discovered that being a practitioner wasn’t something he wanted to pursue further, it was still a rewarding and eye-opening experience. He saw firsthand the disparities that existed for individuals across different backgrounds attempting to receive care. These were based on a variety of social factors, such as income level, race, ethnicity, and access to information about resources.
“There’s a lot to unpack as to why there are disparities within mental health [access], and the social factors,” he explained. “Social injustices play a huge role in that, and if those are not addressed, these disparities will continue.”
Armed with a passion for social justice and a desire to further examine these mental health inequalities disproportionately affecting marginalized individuals, Barrita applied for graduate school. His advisor, Gloria Wong-Padoongpatt, introduced him to intersectionality within research. As a member of both the Latinx and LGBTQ communities, Barrita wanted to center his research around incidences of discrimination that occur among minoritized individuals who are both racialized and members of sexual and gender minorities. There is currently a lack of research that encompasses individuals who are both persons of color and queer or transgender, and those who identify as both are often pushed to the margins and left behind in the research.
Barrita specifically focuses on experiences of microaggressions, or everyday forms of oppression that occur often, and usually in that individual’s most frequented environments, such as work or school. He equates microaggressions to the feeling of a mosquito bite. One bit might be slightly annoying, but is usually easily ignored. However, over time and as more bites accumulate, it can be painful and hard to ignore.
“We all have biases and stereotypes that we need to check, and sometimes we might say the wrong thing, whether it’s intentional or not, what matters is that someone might feel discomfort or be negatively impacted by that,” said Barrita. “There’s usually a harmful or derogatory connotation attached to microaggressions. “A lot of my research focuses on the intersectionality of both (racism and heterosexism). When you are a part of both communities, you might experience microaggressions in multiple contexts.”
As a researcher, Barrita also looks into the coping strategies these individuals may develop. As opposed to experiencing a major incident of harassment or discrimination and taking time to process it, everyday forms of oppression–microaggressions tend to add up for an individual (cumulative effect), leaving little time to properly address how it has affected them. As such, minoritized individuals can respond using maladaptive behaviors as coping strategies, such as emotional suppression, isolation, drug use and self-sabotage. Researching this can assist in informing health behaviors and discovering more effective or less harmful coping strategies.
Barrita and his colleagues have looked into protective factors for minoritized individuals, such as engaging in advocacy or educating themselves about their experiences with oppression, how parental acceptance for LGBTQ+ youth can open conversations and support systems, and how these strategies foster interacting with other members of their community as a form of resilience.
“We want to assess strength-based strategies that can be taught within these communities, so that they understand protective ways for these attacks,” he explained. “You can’t just tell someone, ‘don’t worry, be strong, just stay resilient,’ we need to break it down for them, show them what that actually looks like. There’s a lot to say about building community within minoritized groups, and what that community can do for the individual as well as the whole.”
Barrita entered the search for a postdoctoral position knowing that he wanted to be at an intensive research institution where his research would be valued and supported, and MSU felt like a great fit as he explored his options. Even better was the Dean’s Research Associate Program (DRAP), which was the main reason to apply to MSU after graduation. The program gives Barrita the opportunity to conduct research, with protected time and resources, while also receiving training and development on other areas key to success for a tenure-track professor position.
“DRAP really provides you with the protected time and resources so that you can continue to grow your research portfolio and prepare for the tenure track portion before you jump into it,” he said. “It’s very intentional. I get to be in faculty meetings within my department, and I feel included. I think that that speaks volumes.”
To Barrita, Pride Month has many different meanings. It’s a purposeful opportunity to remember the resilience and resistance that the Pride movement stems from, culminating in the Stonewall riots in 1969. Participating in parades and celebrating with friends is part of the fun, but Barrita also emphasizes, “We must remember where Pride came from, a place of resistance, because we never know when such efforts will be needed again, when such resistance to oppression will be once again necessary.”
“You don’t need to be an LGBTQ individual to celebrate Pride, because Pride acknowledges the humanity in all of us,” he said. “If we can all do that, if we can see each other as humans, and the value of our contributions, and focus more on our similarities than our differences, I think we will be in a better world.”
At the time of editing this interview, Aldo Barrita notified us of being the 2025 recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Division 45 Barbara Smith & Jewell E. Horvat Early Career Award for Research on LGBTQ Individuals of Color Award, highlighting another of his many contributions to these communities.
Honorees’ views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the College of Social Science.