Microaggressions and Psychological Health Among College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model of Rumination and Social Structure Beliefs

AbstractRacial microaggressions are common experiences for students of color on college campuses. Given prior research connecting microaggressions to negative mental health outcomes, it is important to better understand the social context and process through which microaggressions are associated with poorer mental health. In addition, we put forth a psycho-sociological approach to microaggressions, integrating an attention to both individual psychology and broader social structure. Specifically, the present study investigated whether the indirect association of school/workplace microaggressions and internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) through problem-focused thoughts (a subset of ruminative thinking) differed as a function of horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism among a racially diverse sample of non-White college students (n = 549) from two universities in the USA. As hypothesized, problem-focused thoughts mediated the associations between school/workplace microaggressions and all three negative mental health symptoms. Furthermore, the indirect effect of school/workplace microaggressions on psychological health thr ough problem-focused thoughts was stronger in students with high levels of vertical individualism (i.e., autonomous but recognize/accept inequality among individuals), compared to students with low or average levels. Our findings suggest that students of color who endorse vertical individualism are at ...
Source: Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research