African American College Students Research Articles

Implicit Racial Bias, Health Care Provider Attitudes, and Perceptions of Health Care Quality Among African American College Students in Georgia, USA.

Due to racism, over 20% of African Americans, including college students in Georgia, receive poor quality health care. Consequently, most students are reluctant to utilize health care services in the state. This study examined biased racial attitudes of health care providers in Georgia, and African American Georgia State University (GSU) School of Public Health (SPH) students' perceptions of the quality of health care they receive from providers, the effects of such care, and student recommendations for the way forward. A mixed-methods cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 63 students across six domains using Qualtrics. Provider brushes off patient concerns when providing medical care (29.9%), stereotyping (26.9%), and the lack of communication during medical care (25.4%) were the three main implicit racial attitudes identified by GSU SPH students. Owing to the poor quality of care they receive from their health care providers, some students (28.4%) are reluctant to utilize health care services, distrust doctors that are not from their race (34.3%), do not adhere to treatment (19.4%), and prefer to use home remedies (28.4%) when ill. Students recommended cultural competency training, holding health care providers accountable for their actions, and increasing African American health care providers in Georgia as ways to address health care provider attitudes and quality of care. Negative provider attitudes impact the health and health-seeking behavior of African American college students in Georgia. These attitudes must be eliminated so barriers to clinical participation are removed, and student health outcomes optimized.

Communicating Mental Health Coping Resources Among College Students of Color: A Resilience Approach to COVID-19 Response

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected African American college students and put them at high risk of mental health concerns. Guided by the community resilience model, this study examined how Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) communicated mental health resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis of HBCUs’ website-based communication showed that mental health received minimal importance in response to the ongoing pandemic. Although larger and advanced degree-granting institutions provided a relatively greater amount of mental health resources than smaller institutions, those resources might not be sufficient to buffer against the COVID-19 induced stressors. Providing such inadequate mental resources indicate that many HBCU institutions were unable to provide a necessary supportive environment for the campus communities. HBCUs may establish formal and informal networks with local and regional mental health support organizations and share resources. Specifically, smaller institutions would benefit from such networked support. Additionally, HBCUs need to prioritize mental health in their response to COVID-19 to promote resilience among the student community.

Relation of the Trauma Symptom Inventory’s Sexual Dysfunction Subscale to Overall Distress in African American College Students

Recent research has identified that traumatic events have affected individuals from all occupations. Severe trauma and reactions, which in the past were primarily identified with military veterans, have now been recognized in people throughout society. The TSI-2 is a 136 item self-report tool that examines the impact of trauma on an individual’s social and interpersonal functioning. The test has 4 global scales and 12 subscales. This study examined the relation of the Sexual Dysfunction subscale to overall pathology and its implication in African American college students. Students from a HBCU volunteered to complete this scale as part of a larger study-evaluating mood and cognitive functioning. The researchers reexamined the data in relation to performance on the Sexual Dysfunction Scale and overall signs of distress, depression and anxiety. Results found individuals who scored elevated on the scale also had high elevations on measures of significant distress and pathology. They also were high risks for selfinjury. An item analysis indicated these individuals were likely to act impulsively and demonstrate acknowledged poor judgment in dating and sexual activities (e.g., having sex without protection, sleeping with someone who they knew was not good for them). This subscale possibly has utility in screening for college students whose experience with trauma may lead them to be high risks for exploitation and poor adjustment on a university campus.

The impact of racial identity and school composition on affirmative action attitudes of African American college students

ABSTRACT Affirmative Action remains a controversial policy that incites a variety of reactions. Some believe it’s an unjust policy that discriminates against applicants, while others view it as a policy aimed at fighting against past inequalities and discrimination. Little is known about African American endorsement of the policy. Two hundred and seven Black students from a predominantly White institution (PWI) and a historically Black university (HBCU) participated in the current study to examine the impact of racial identity on affirmative action attitudes (AA). Results indicated that school type and race centrality significantly predicted AA attitudes. Students who attended a HBCU were less likely to endorse AA compared to students at the PWI and those higher in race centrality were more likely to endorse AA. This study is one of the first to investigate the impact of the educational environment on the affirmative action attitudes of African Americans.

RESISTANCE AND RESILIENCE IN AFRICAN AMERICAN AND LATINX WOMEN COLLEGE STUDENTS IN THE CONTEXT OF ETHNO-GENDERED RACISM

This study explores how high-achieving African American and Latinx female college students in an historically white institution (HWI) experience and respond to ethno-gendered bias based on the perspectives of resilience and intersectionality. Six 90-minutes focus group were conducted with 21 college women of color (CWOC), including 10 African American and 11 Latina emerging adults aged 18 to 23. A modified grounded theory approach was employed for the data analysis. The transitions of CWOC as emerging adults taking on greater responsibilities and independence were made more complex by ethno-gendered encounters. A grounded model of resistance expanded the ecological framework of resilience to accommodate intersectional experiences with race and gender bias. The model highlights CWOC resistance as an important psychosocial mechanism facilitating their adjustment in a predominantly White institution. CWOC employed a strong psychological mechanism of resistance to prevent the internalization of the negative stereotypical narratives. Maternal ethno-gendered racial socialization appeared to be a crucial resilience resource helping them to cope and promoting the growth of self-system characterized by independence, self-efficacy and self-respect, high self-esteem, determination and hard work. This transformative and constructive psychological mechanism of resistance was linked to their successful adjustment and achievement in college. The findings have developmental and practical implications for historically minoritized women college students’ resilience and adjustment.

Racism's (un)worthiness trap: The mediating roles of self-compassion and self-coldness in the link between racism and distress in African Americans.

Racism is a key determinant of mental health for African Americans. Although research has started to uncover moderators and mediators of the racism-health link, additional research in this area is warranted. Constructs that have yet to be examined in this link are self-compassion and self-coldness-two distinct ways of relating to oneself during adversity. Data from 133 African American college students were used to assess parallel mediation models in which the frequency and stress appraisal of racism were the predictor variables, psychological distress was the outcome variable, and dimensions of self-compassion and self-coldness were treated as mediators. Neither frequency nor appraisal of racism were related to the three types of self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness); yet, both racism frequency and appraisal were related to the three types of self-coldness (i.e., self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification). However, only self-judgment emerged as a significant mediator in the links between both frequency and appraisal of racism and distress, respectively. Reducing self-coldness in the face of racism can be a promising, individual-level wellness strategy for African Americans. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Discrimination, Social Media Use, and Chronic Stress in Black Americans

Discrimination experiences may contribute to the chronic stress experienced by Black Americans, leaving these individuals particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns. In turn, individuals may utilize social media platforms as a place for online community and shared experience. At the same time, social media may also amplify evidence of global discrimination, further contributing to chronic stress felt in Black communities. Presently, little is known about the relationships between discrimination, chronic stress, and social media use. Multiple regressions and moderation analyses (N = 246) explored the predictive nature of social media use and discrimination on chronic stress in a sample of Black American college students. Results provide initial support for the potential negative impact of social media on chronic stress. Clinical implications for professional counselors are provided.

“They Are Coming to Get Something”: A Qualitative Study of African American Male Community College Students’ Education Abroad Experience in Senegal, West Africa

This paper is a critical qualitative study of African American male community college students’ education abroad experience in Senegal, West Africa. Currently, there is a lack of research that focuses directly on Black men who are studying abroad. Using African American male theory as the framework, four major themes emerged: men to boys, challenging the notion of counternarratives, identity, and not-so-distant cousins. These themes point collectively to a transformative experience for the participants. Notably, the educational experience transformed the participants’ cultural, social, and racial identities, as the trip fostered a combination of vulnerability and safety that created the conditions for Black men to grow and transform.

Social Cognitive Career Theory Predictors of Goal Persistence in African American College Students With Disabilities

The Black Lives Matter movement exposed the broad and deep issues of institutional racism in the United States. Helping young African Americans with disabilities persevere in their pursuit of college degrees and obtain entry-level professional jobs as career pathways to the middle class will contribute to workplace equity for young adults who are at the intersection of race, disability, and poverty. The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) has been validated extensively as a model of goal persistence for women and minority college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). The present study evaluated SCCT constructs as predictors of goal persistence in a sample of African American college students with disabilities across various academic majors, using hierarchical regression analysis. The final model accounted for 53% of the variance in goal persistence scores, a large effect size. Academic milestone self-efficacy and career self-efficacy were the most important predictors of goal persistence, followed by academic barrier self-efficacy, deep learning style, and career outcome expectancy. The SCCT interventions designed to increase academic and career efficacy and outcome expectancy will increase the likelihood that African American college students with disabilities will complete their degrees and successfully obtain professional jobs.

Validation of the Fear of Missing Out Scale for Use with African Americans in the United States.

Social media connects people in a myriad of ways, yet when prevented from staying connected, an experience of missing out on information and events perceived to be integral to one's well-being may ensue. Relatedness, a core construct of self-determination theory, is a primary influencer of motivation, and therefore being cut off from others has a negative impact on one's quality of life. Across diverse groups of people, social media is utilized for a variety of purposes directly related to connectedness, which implies inherent differences in how one's fear of missing out (FoMO) manifests in everyday life. This study employed the previously validated Fear of Missing Out Scale (FoMOS) with a nonclinical sample of African American and Caucasian college students in the United States, with a particular focus on validity of the measure with an African American cohort due to a lack of empirical evidence pertaining to with this demographic. Factor analyses yielded inconsistent findings from the FoMOS initial validation study, and results indicated differences in self-reported FoMO between the two racial groups. We speculate that observed group-based differences are at least partially the result of how individuals from each group understood and internalized the conceptual meaning of FoMO, supporting a hypothesis of practical differences in how anxieties related to missing out manifest. This may be due to individual or group-based differences in motivations for, or general purpose of, using social media.

Community, risk assessment, prevention and control: Black American college students' information seeking on COVID-19.

Despite the disproportionate impact of the novel coronavirus on Black Americans, there is little research that centres Black college students' information behaviours during the pandemic. The objective of this study is to identify information needs, resources and use regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic among Black American college students. This is a quantitative study among 389 college students in the USA. Data were collected using an online crowdsourced survey instrument. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse data through SPSS. The most salient information needs related to Covid-19 symptoms, personal protective equipment, vulnerable populations, and risk assessment; however, students also wanted information on Covid-19's impact on the Black community. There were no statistically significant gender differences in students' information seeking, resources or use with one exception; male students believed the internet alone could provide all relevant information about the coronavirus in comparison to female students. Barriers related to the volume of information, information fluidity and determining the quality of information. Colleges and universities can play a critical role in information dissemination during crisis events. Students need critical information literacy skills that intersect with everyday information needs, particularly health literacy.

Contextualizing the racial gradient in covid-19 outcomes: Narratives from HBCU students

COVID-19 spread across the nation with Black Americans experiencing twice of the prevalence of deaths than White Americans. Black American college students are facing a unique set of biopsychosocial costs including less retention and poorer mental health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how Historically Black College or University (HBCU) students contextualize COVID-19. Interviews were conducted with 19 participants and lasted 40-60 minutes. They discussed topics including: their COVID-19 knowledge, precautionary measures, and barriers and promoters of school success were covered. Data were coded through semi-open coding and discussed among the research team. Responses were summarized by eight themes: emotional responses, colorblind rhetoric, lack of healthcare, essential work, distrust for the medical field, barriers to precautions like supply shortages and environmental factors, and poor baseline health. These findings may be used to develop interventions that moderate the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics on mental health.

Ethnic identity protects against feelings of defeat and entrapment on suicide ideation in African American young adults.

Recent trends in suicide and suicide-related risk suggest that African American youth are particularly vulnerable; however, little is known about the sociocultural context of suicide-related risk in this population. The present study examined ethnic identity as a moderator of the relationship between defeat and entrapment and suicide ideation in African American young adults. A sample of African American college students (N = 106; 46.2% female; (Mage = 20.63) completed a battery of surveys online. Using cross-sectional data, a moderation analysis was conducted. As partially hypothesized, ethnic identity, specifically exploration and commitment, weakened the relationship between defeat and entrapment and suicide ideation. This study suggests that African Americans who frequently engage in customary traditions and organizations with other African Americans may be protected from the harmful effects of feelings of defeat and entrapment on suicide ideation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Stigma, help‐seeking, and counseling with African American male college students

AbstractThe help‐seeking processes of college students can be impacted by aspects of public stigma, self‐stigma, and mental health literacy. The unique influences of these factors, however, have yet to be explored with African American male college students (AAMCS). Using a sample of 116 AAMCS, the researchers examined changes of variances in AAMCS’ help‐seeking intentions explained by public stigma, self‐stigma, mental health literacy, and self‐construal. Our hierarchical regression analyses revealed public stigma and self‐stigma to account for 13.7% (ΔR2 = 0.137) of variance in predicting help‐seeking intentions of AAMCS. Mental health literacy and self‐construal were not found to be statistically significant in their respective models. The overall hierarchical model accounted for 25.9% of variance in help‐seeking intentions of AAMCS. Implications for counseling practice and future research in help‐seeking are discussed.

Coping, COVID knowledge, communication, and HBCU student's emotional well-being: Mediating role of perceived control and social connectedness.

The pandemic has disproportionately affected African American college students, who have experienced significant work‐related, academic, financial, and socio‐emotional challenges due to COVID‐19. The purpose of the study is to investigate how African American students cope with the severe impact of COVID‐19 on their emotional well‐being leveraging the benefits of self‐care coping measures, COVID‐19 knowledge, and communication with others to enhance perceived control and social connectedness. A structural equation modeling and a path analysis of 254 responses from a Historically Black College and University showed that emotional well‐being was positively predicted by self‐care coping strategies, feelings of being in control in life, and social connectedness. In addition, respondents who adopted mind−body balance coping strategies, those who are knowledgeable about COVID‐19, and those in more constant communication with others attained a strong sense of being in control, and in turn the empowerment increased their emotional well‐being.

The intergroup sensitivity effect among racial groups in the United States

The intergroup sensitivity effect (ISE) refers to individuals responding more negatively to criticism directed toward their ingroup if the criticism is delivered by someone outside the group. The ISE has never been examined for groups defined by race. In light of ongoing racial tensions in America, the purpose of the current research was to examine whether the ISE replicates among racial groups. Study 1 replicated the ISE among African American, European American, and Latinx American university students and, unexpectedly, found that European American participants responded more positively to praise delivered by a racial outgroup member. Study 2 replicated these results in a nonstudent sample and identified motivation to respond without prejudice as a moderator of the praise effect. In both studies, the ISE was mediated by perceptions of comment legitimacy/constructiveness but was not moderated by feelings toward the outgroup. Future directions and explanations for the praise effect are discussed.

Examining Adaptive Behaviors as Resistance Strategies for African American College Students in Adverse University Contexts

This study explored the adaptive behaviors used by African American college students attending a predominantly White university. In-depth individual interviews were conducted and used as the primary method of data collection for this study. In addition, a focus group session provided member checking opportunity to strengthen the study. The analysis revealed participants utilized multiple adaptive behaviors to combat negative racialized experiences while attending a university where they were underrepresented. These adaptive behaviors were used as resistance strategies by African American students navigating a racially charged university context.

COVID-19 hesitancy and vaccine attitudes among African American and Nigerian college students

This cross-sectional study examined COVID-19 attitudes and vaccine hesitancy among African American and Nigerian college students (N=189). African American and Nigerian college students were sampled from regional universities within the United States and Nigeria. Participants completed the World Health Organization (WHO) Vaccine Hesitancy Scale (VHS; 2014) and sociodemographic questions to assess attitudes, primarily vaccination hesitancy, toward COVID-19 vaccination. Independent t tests revealed no significant differences between the nationalities and any hesitancy in taking the COVID-19 vaccine (t(167)=.334, p=.739). However, there was a significant effect for trust in the COVID-19 vaccine (t(174)=-3.42, p=<.001), with American students (M=0.59; SD=0.50) showing more trust than Nigerian students (M=0.34; SD=0.48). In addition, there was a significant effect for the overall general support of vaccines, t(176)=2.43 p=.016, with Nigerian students (M=0.86; SD=0.35) showing more favor than American students (M=0.71; SD=0.46). Additional analyses associated with the cross-cultural comparisons were conducted and discussed.

Becoming-A Journey to Wellness: Engaging HBCU Students in Developing a Theory-Based YouTube Healthy Lifestyle Intervention.

Addressing disparities in overweight and obesity among African American college students is critical, as many of these students are heavier and gain more weight when compared with other groups. This report describes development of a theory-based YouTube series designed to improve Historically Black College and University (HBCU) student lifestyle behaviours.

Racism, Health Care Provider Attitudes, and Perceptions of Health Care Quality Among African American College Students in Georgia

Racism, Health Care Provider Attitudes, and Perceptions of Health Care Quality Among African American College Students in Georgia