Ethnic Minority College Students Research Articles

Do trait psychological characteristics moderate sympathetic arousal to racial discrimination exposure in a natural setting?

Personality and psychological traits are known to influence how individuals react to and cope with stress, and thus, have downstream health and aging consequences. However, research considering psychological health traits as individual-level difference factors moderating the links been racism-related stress and health for racial and ethnic minorities in the United States is rare. Using intensive daily diaries and a wearable sensor that continuously recorded sympathetic nervous system arousal in a sample of racial and ethnic minority college students (80% African American, first-generation Black, or African; 20% Latinx), we linked arousal to racism-related experiences dynamically throughout the day as participants naturally went about their lives. Findings suggest that multiple traits are associated with increased arousal in real time when interpersonal discrimination is perceived, but that only anger and anxiety also predicted increased arousal during moments of rumination and reflection on race-related inequities. Vicarious discrimination exposure moments were also linked to suppressed arousal in general, but particularly for more anxious individuals. We use a stress appraisal and coping framework to elucidate the ways in which individual psychological differences may inform physiological responses to race-related stress. The biopsychosocial pathways by which cognitive appraisal and interpersonal race-related stress contribute to racial health disparities are also discussed.

The Needs of Group Counseling for Ethnic Minority College Students from the Perspective of Social Psychological Service

With the development of social economy and the improvement of learning quality and quality education requirements, the social attention to the psychological health of college students and social adaptability needs is also more and more high. The research shows that, due to the influence of various factors such as region, economy and culture, the social service needs of minority and Han university students will also be different at different levels. As the hope and future of all ethnic groups, minority college students are the backbone of inheriting, developing and innovating the traditional culture of ethnic groups. It is an important aspect of the development of ethnic education to pay attention to the psychological status of such a special group. At present, there are a lot of researches on the psychological health service needs of college students at home and abroad, but the researches on the psychological health service needs of minority college students are less, and mainly focus on the application. Therefore, the research on the needs of minority college students for group counseling and group counseling is of great theoretical significance.

A Study on the Innovative Path of Education Management for Ethnic Minority College Students in Mainland Universities Driven by Big Data

A Study on the Innovative Path of Education Management for Ethnic Minority College Students in Mainland Universities Driven by Big Data

Developing and testing the College Student Empowerment Scales for Racial/Ethnic Minorities.

Empowerment is defined as a process by which marginalized groups gain mastery over issues of concern to them. One such population is racial and ethnic minority college students. These students experience academic disparities while simultaneously relying on higher education to facilitate more equitable social outcomes for themselves and ultimately to strengthen U.S. society for all. Nonetheless, nearly four decades after Rappaport's introduction of the empowerment construct, we still have no core constructs or measure of them for understanding and assessing the empowerment of underrepresented students on college campuses. As an initial step to understand and evaluate empowerment for this important population, this study drew from previous qualitative research to create and field-test a quantitative measure with racial/ethnic minority college students. Exploratory factor analyses in independent samples identified 4 factors of empowerment: Self-Efficacy/Control, University Environment, Financial Confidence, and Student Racial/Ethnic Identity. Confirmatory factor analyses illustrated relationships between factors. Findings revealed that the measure, the College Student Empowerment Scales for Racial/Ethnic Minorities (CSES), is valid and reliable. Results emphasize internalized influences on psychological empowerment through an individual's identity within empowering university and societal contexts. Future directions are discussed, including research using this measure and opportunities for intervention in universities.

Effective Paths to the Traditional Culture Education of Ethnic Minority University Students from the View of “Belt and Road Initiative”

The essence and spiritual qualities of traditional Chinese culture are the crystallization of our nation’s wisdom and wisdom, and are also a symbol of the wealth left over by the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation over the ages. For our country with 5,000 years of civilization, the status and importance of traditional culture is indisputable. Chinese traditional culture deeply affects the development of the Chinese nation with its unique charm and long-lasting vitality. Due to the development of economic globalization, traditional culture is facing an increasingly serious crisis. As the future of the motherland, college students must understand the excellent traditional culture of our motherland and establish a scientific outlook on life and values. This article chooses the "Belt and Road Initiative" as the perspective to conduct traditional cultural education for ethnic minority college students. On the one hand, it hopes to improve the ideological and moral qualities of this group. On the other hand, it hopes to carry forward the excellent traditional culture of our nation through this activity. . From this perspective, it is the irresistible responsibility of college students to carry forward the outstanding elements of traditional Chinese culture.

What's the harm? Internalized prejudice and cultural betrayal trauma in ethnic minorities.

The differential contexts that ethnic minorities face as a result of lower societal status impact outcomes of trauma. Cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT) is a contextualized framework that was created to examine trauma in minority populations. According to CBTT, due to societal inequality, within-group trauma in minority populations is a cultural betrayal that contributes to outcomes. In addition to looking at typically studied abuse outcomes (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder), CBTT also predicts cultural outcomes, such as internalized prejudice, changes in ethnic identity, and (intra)cultural pressure (e.g., silencing victims of intraracial trauma to protect the minority ingroup from discriminatory individuals and systems of the dominant culture). No prior studies have examined cultural outcomes in CBTT. It was hypothesized that intraracial trauma (aka, cultural betrayal trauma) would be associated with cultural outcomes in a sample of ethnic minority college students. Participants (N = 296; 60.5% female; age: M = 20.12, SD = 2.81) were ethnic minority college students (35.0% Asian, 24.7% Hispanic-Latino American, 14.2% Other, 13.2% Black-African American, 5.7% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 3.4% American Indian-Alaska Native, and 3.4% Middle Eastern) attending a predominantly White university. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing trauma and outcomes online. Separate hierarchical linear regression analyses suggested that when controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and interracial trauma, intraracial trauma predicted internalized prejudice, (intra)cultural pressure, and changes in identification with ethnic identity. These findings have implications for cultural competency in clinical interventions for minority victims of trauma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

What’s in a Betrayal? Trauma, Dissociation, and Hallucinations Among High-Functioning Ethnic Minority Emerging Adults

ABSTRACTObjective. Interpersonal trauma is linked with mental health outcomes, including dissociation and hallucinations (Gómez & Freyd, 2017a). Betrayal trauma theory (BTT) identifies the closeness of the perpetrator as a contributor to harm (Freyd, 1996). Cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT; Gómez, 2017b) further contextualizes trauma within the sociocultural context for minorities. According to CBTT, cultural betrayal trauma (perpetrator: same minority ethnicity) includes a traumatic dimension of harm that is linked with trauma-related mental health. The purpose of the current study is to examine high betrayal (perpetrator: close other) and cultural betrayal (perpetrator: same ethnicity) in trauma as it relates to dissociation and hallucinations among high-functioning ethnic minority emerging adults.Method. Participants (N = 296; Mage = 20.12; Female: 60.5%) were ethnic minority college students (35.0% Asian, 24.7% Hispanic/Latino American, 14.2% Other, 13.2% Black/African American, 5.7% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 3.4% American Indian/Alaska Native, and 3.4% Middle Eastern) who completed an online questionnaire assessing interpersonal trauma victimization, dissociation, and hallucinations.Results. Over 50% of the sample reported interpersonal trauma victimization. Moreover, when controlling for participant ethnicity, interracial trauma, high betrayal trauma, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, there was an indirect effect of cultural betrayal trauma on hallucinations through dissociation (B = .1919; 95% CI: .1110, .3101).Conclusions. By incorporating high betrayal and cultural betrayal into research, this work has implications for culturally competent treatment for diverse minority victims.

Stigma Consciousness and Evaluative Concerns: A Pathway to Psychological Distress for Academically Stigmatized Students

The psychological health of ethnic minority college students, specifically Black and Hispanic/Latinx students, warrants particular attention given their experience of ethnic stigmatization in higher education settings (e.g., lowered expectations surrounding intellectual ability). When faced with ethnic stigmatization, especially in an inherently evaluative collegiate context, concerns about negative performance evaluation may trigger increased threat vigilance, self-monitoring for mistakes, and rumination about potential failure. Thus, the evaluative concerns component of perfectionism may be a mechanism through which ethnic stigma consciousness relates to psychological distress for these students. The current investigation explored the relationships between stigma consciousness, evaluative concerns perfectionism, and psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression) in a large sample of Hispanic/Latinx and Black college students in the United States. The moderated mediational analysis revealed that for Hispanic/Latinx students evaluative concerns served as a mechanism through which ethnic stigma consciousness related to psychological distress. For Black students, there was no relationship between stigma consciousness and psychological distress. Findings suggest that preventative and/or treatment approaches aimed at reducing psychological distress among Hispanic/Latinx college students take into consideration the contextual impact of ethnic stigmatization. Treatments may incorporate assessment and targeting of this maladaptive component of perfectionism to disrupt the pathway to psychological distress.

An examination of the relationships between acculturative stress, perceived discrimination, and eating disorder symptoms among ethnic minority college students

Empirical evidence suggests the importance of considering acculturative stress and perceived discrimination in understanding the mental health of ethnic minority groups, including their eating behaviors and associated psychopathology. The current study examined the effect of acculturative stress and perceived discrimination on eating disorder symptoms among ethnic minority undergraduate students. A total of 187 ethnic minority undergraduate students (41.2% men) completed this cross-sectional study by completing self-report questionnaires on a secure online system. Regression analyses revealed a main effect of acculturative stress on eating concern, shape concern, weight concern, drive for thinness, and bulimia but not restraint or body dissatisfaction. Gender moderated the effect of acculturative stress on drive for muscularity, suggesting that this effect was only significant in women, but not men. The main effect of perceived discrimination was significant for restraint, eating concern, shape concern, weight concern, and drive for muscularity but not drive for thinness, bulimia, or body dissatisfaction. Acculturative stress and perceived discrimination are important factors to consider in understanding the development and maintenance of eating disorder symptoms among ethnic minority populations. Targeting these two factors may improve the effectiveness of intervention programs for eating disorder symptoms among ethnic minority undergraduate students.

Discrimination, friendship diversity, and STEM-related outcomes for incoming ethnic minority college students

Ethnic minority students are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The current study utilizes social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to examine the associations between ethnic discrimination and friendship group diversity, and academic self-efficacy, as well as the intent to major in a STEM-related field in two cohorts (N=1307 and 1701) of incoming ethnic minority college students (71% and 70% women; 59% and 54% Asian, 24% and 29% Latino/a, 3% and 3% African American, 13% and 14% Multiethnic for Cohorts 1 and 2, respectively). Discrimination was negatively associated with math/science self-efficacy while having more diverse friends was positively associated with both academic self-efficacy (math/science for Cohort 1 and general for Cohort 2) and intention to major in STEM for both cohorts. Additionally, friend group diversity served as a buffer (Cohort 1) such that discrimination was associated with a decreased intent to major in STEM only when students had few friends from different ethnic, racial, or cultural backgrounds. For those with diverse friends, there was no association between discrimination and intent to major in STEM. Ethnic group differences between Asian and a combined group of Latino/a, African American, and Multiethnic students were assessed. No ethnic group differences were found for any of the associations between discrimination or friendship group diversity and STEM outcomes. These findings suggest supporting interethnic friendships may promote STEM involvement among ethnic minority college students.

Perceived Prejudice and the Mental Health of Chinese Ethnic Minority College Students: The Chain Mediating Effect of Ethnic Identity and Hope.

As a multinational country incorporating 56 officially recognized ethnic groups, China is concerned with the mental health of members of minority ethnic groups, with an increasing focus on supporting Chinese ethnic minority college students. Nevertheless, in daily life, members of minority ethnic groups in China often perceive prejudice, which may in turn negatively influence their mental health, with respect to relative levels of ethnic identity and hope. To examine the mediating effects of ethnic identity and hope on the relationship between perceived prejudice and the mental health of Chinese ethnic minority college students, 665 students (18–26 years old; 207 males, 458 females; the proportion of participants is 95.38%) from nine colleges in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Yunnan and Guizhou provinces of China took part in our study, each completing adapted versions of a perceived prejudice scale, a multiethnic identity measure, an adult dispositional hope scale, and a general health questionnaire. Analysis of the results reveals that perceived prejudice negatively influences mental health through both ethnic identity and hope in Chinese ethnic minority college students. The total mediation effect was 54.9%. Perceived prejudice was found to negatively predict ethnic identity and hope, suggesting that perceived prejudice brings about a negative reconstruction of ethnic identity and hope mechanisms within the study's Chinese cultural context. The relationship between perceived prejudice and mental health was fully mediated by hope and the chain of ethnic identity and hope. Ethnic identity partially mediated the relationship between perceived prejudice and hope. The relationship between perceived prejudice and mental health mediated by ethnic identity was not significant, which suggests that the rejection–identification model cannot be applied to Chinese ethnic minority college students. This paper concludes by considering the limitations of our study and discussing the implications of its results for researchers and practitioners.

Impostor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among racial/ethnic minority college students.

This study investigated whether impostor feelings would both moderate and mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health in a sample of diverse ethnic minority college students (106 African Americans, 102 Asian Americans, 108 Latino/a Americans) at an urban public university. African American students reported higher perceived discrimination than Asian American and Latino/a American students, while no racial/ethnic group differences were reported for impostor feelings. Analyses revealed that among African American students, high levels of impostor feelings moderated the perceived discrimination and depression relationship and mediated the perceived discrimination and anxiety relationship. Among Asian American students, impostor feelings mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and both depression and anxiety. Among Latino/a American students low levels of impostor feelings moderated the relationship between perceived discrimination and both depression and anxiety, and partially mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and anxiety. Multigroup path analyses revealed a significantly stronger impact of impostor feelings on depression among African American students and a stronger impact of perceived discrimination on impostor feelings among African American and Latino/a American students. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Capitalizing on mobile technology to support healthy eating in ethnic minority college students

ABSTRACTObjective: To evaluate the capacity of a mobile technology–based intervention to support healthy eating among ethnic minority female students. Participants: Forty-three African American and Hispanic female students participated in a 3-week intervention between January and May 2013. Methods: Participants photographed their meals using their smart phone camera and received motivational text messages 3 times a day. At baseline, postintervention, and 10 weeks after the intervention, participants reported on fruit, vegetable, and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Participants were also weighed at baseline. Results: Among participants with body mass index (BMI) ≥25, fruit and vegetable consumption increased with time (p < .01). Among participants with BMI <21, consumption of fruit decreased (p < .05), whereas the consumption of vegetables remained stable. No effects were found for sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Conclusion: Mobile technology–based interventions could facilitate healthy eating among female ethnic minority college students, particularly those with higher BMI.

School Belonging, Ethnic Identity, and Psychological Adjustment Among Ethnic Minority College Students

This study considers how the psychological adjustment of ethnic minority college students may be linked to a sense of school belonging and ethnic identity, two constructs related to individuals feeling like they belong to a larger group. Using self-reports from 311 undergraduates from ethnic minority backgrounds, school belonging was found to be negatively associated with depressive symptoms, and positively associated with perceived self-worth, scholastic competence, and social acceptance, while ethnic identity was only found to be positively associated with self-worth. Furthermore, the interaction between ethnic identity and school belonging was significantly associated with self-worth, suggesting that in the absence of a sense of belonging at school, stronger ethnic identity was linked to higher self-worth. College students reported the lowest levels of self-worth when they were neither connected to their college nor connected to their ethnic group.

The Role of Social and Personal Identities in Self-Esteem Among Ethnic Minority College Students

This study examined the latent personal-social identity profiles that emerged from simultaneous consideration of ethnic, national (United States), and personal identities among ethnic minority college students (N = 3,009) as well as how personal and social identities are jointly associated with self-esteem. Results indicated that the structure of personal-social identity profiles significantly differed across ethnicity, but also indicated some commonalities. The study identified three profiles among Blacks, four among Asian Americans, and two among Latinos. Some personal-social identity profiles were common across multiple ethnic groups, but others were unique within one specific ethnic group. Overall, the profiles indicated important associations between ethnic identity, U.S. identity, and personal identity. These profiles were linked with self-esteem such that individuals who reported high levels of multiple social and personal identities had the highest self-esteem compared to other profiles.

Angry rumination moderates the association between perceived ethnic discrimination and risky behaviors

Perceived ethnic discrimination (PED) is associated with increased engagement in risky behaviors in ethnic minority emerging adults. Risky behaviors may reflect efforts to cope with emotional distress like depression or anxiety resulting from PED, particularly for individuals with poor emotion regulation skills. We hypothesized that the association between PED and risky behaviors would be particularly strong for emerging adults with tendencies for angry rumination. We further hypothesized that increased depressive and anxious symptoms would mediate the effect of the PED-rumination interaction on risky behaviors. In this survey study, 155 ethnic minority college students completed measures of PED, depressive and anxiety symptoms, trait angry rumination, and risky behaviors. Analyses revealed that angry rumination moderated the association between PED and greater risky behaviors. Depressive and anxiety symptoms did not mediate this effect. Although cross-sectional, these findings suggest that individuals with poor coping skills may be especially likely to respond to stressors such as PED by engaging in risky behaviors. Implications include using rumination-focused interventions in order to prevent engagement in risky behaviors in ethnic minority emerging adults.

Do dimensions of ethnic identity mediate the association between perceived ethnic group discrimination and depressive symptoms?

Ethnic group discrimination represents a notable risk factor that may contribute to mental health problems among ethnic minority college students. However, cultural resources (e.g., ethnic identity) may promote psychological adjustment in the context of group-based discriminatory experiences. In the current study, we examined the associations between perceptions of ethnic group discrimination and depressive symptoms, and explored dimensions of ethnic identity (i.e., exploration, resolution, and affirmation) as mediators of this process among 2,315 ethnic minority college students (age 18 to 30 years; 37% Black, 63% Latino). Results indicated that perceived ethnic group discrimination was associated positively with depressive symptoms among students from both ethnic groups. The relationship between perceived ethnic group discrimination and depressive symptoms was mediated by ethnic identity affirmation for Latino students, but not for Black students. Ethnic identity resolution was negatively and indirectly associated with depressive symptoms through ethnic identity affirmation for both Black and Latino students. Implications for promoting ethnic minority college students' mental health and directions for future research are discussed.

Symposium Addresses Mental Health of Ethnic Minority College Students

Unaddressed racial discrimination on college campuses may be one predictor of adverse mental health consequences in students.

Subjective Health and Health Behaviors as Predictors of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety Among Ethnic Minority College Students

This study investigated the relationship between depression, anxiety, and health-related behaviors among ethnic minority students at an urban public university. Five hundred sixty seven students from diverse ethnic backgrounds completed a set of measures to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety, health promoting (e.g., exercise) and health compromising behaviors (e.g., cigarette and alcohol use). Students also rated their current health. Approximately 22% and 27% of participants endorsed clinically significant symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively. No ethnic group differences were found on measures of depression and anxiety among this sample. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed subjective health ratings contributed to the highest proportion of variance for all criterion measures beyond gender. Among health behaviors, results suggest alcohol and cigarette use assert more influence on symptoms of depression and anxiety than exercise.

Integrating Identities: Ethnic and Academic Identities among Diverse College Students

Background/Context Students of Color continue to be underrepresented at the undergraduate level. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of non-academic psychosocial factors for understanding college experiences. One factor, identity, is a broad, multidimensional construct that comprises numerous distinct domains, including political, religious, gender, ethnic, and academic identities. Two identity domains that are particularly relevant for college Students of Color are ethnic and academic identities. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study In the present study we focused on identity development processes in college and how they differ between Students of Color and White students. Specifically, our study examined four hypotheses: Compared with White students, Students of Color would 1) report higher levels of ethnic identity and 2) endorse higher levels of ethnic-academic identity integration, and that the group difference in ratings of ethnic-academic identity integration would be both 3) mediated and 4) moderated by ethnic identity. Research Design This study was a cross-sectional survey of 282 college students in the U.S. (69% women, M age = 19.65, SD =2.78, Range = 18-39; 90% born in the U.S.). Participants were categorized as either White (54%) or as a Student of Color (47%). Participants completed rating-scale measures of ethnic identity exploration and commitment, academic identity, and ethnic-academic identity integration. Findings/Results Findings in the study supported our four hypotheses: 1) Students of Color reported higher levels of ethnic identity than White students, 2) Students of Color reported greater integration between their ethnic and academic identities than White students, 3) this difference was partially explained by Students of Color having stronger ethnic identities than White students, and 4) ethnic identity moderated the relation between ethnicity and ethnic-academic identity integration, such that ethnic identity predicts greater ethnicity-academic identity integration for Students of Color and White students, but the association is stronger for Students of Color. Conclusions/Recommendations Ethnic minority college students endorse higher levels of integration between their ethnic background and academic major. The ability for students to integrate their ethnic and academic identities may provide students with a sense of belonging during their college years. Both ethnicity and the academic environment play a role in the ways in which students feel belonging and pursue their academic careers. Thus, it is important to examine experiences of belonging in an academic context.