Relationship Between Mental Health Stigma, Perceived Discrimination, and Social Support: Focusing on Racial Groups and COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT An investigation was conducted into the relationship between stigma, perceived discrimination, and social support among college students. First, levels of these variables were assessed across different racial groups and compared for differences before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), we examined racial disparities in these variables and identified variations in the levels of self-stigma, public stigma, perceived discrimination, and social support among diverse racial groups. Notably, Asian/Asian American college students reported a higher level of public stigma compared to their African American/Black, White, and Hispanic/Latinx peers. In addition, our findings indicated that college students exhibited a lower level of self-stigma and a higher level of perceived discrimination following the onset of the pandemic. No interaction effect was observed. We also discussed the implications of these findings for college counseling professionals and administrators.