Political Activism and Mental Health Among Black and Latinx College Students

Authors

Elan C. Hope, North Carolina State University
Gabriel Velez, Marquette UniversityFollow
Carly Offidani-Bertrand, University of Chicago
Micere Keels, University of Chicago
Myles I. Durkee, University Of Michigan

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2018

Publisher

American Psychological Association

Source Publication

Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology

Source ISSN

1099-9809

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1037/cdp0000144

Abstract

Objectives: The current study investigates the utility of political activism as a protective factor against experiences of racial/ethnic (R/E) discrimination that negatively affect stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Black and Latinx college freshmen at predominately White institutions. Method: Data come from the Minority College Cohort Study, a longitudinal investigation of Black and Latinx college students (N = 504; 44% Black). We conducted multiple regression analyses for each mental health indicator and tested for interaction effects. Results: For Black and Latinx students, the relationship between R/E microaggressions and end of freshman year stress varied by political activism. For Black students, the relationship between R/E microaggressions and end of the year anxiety varied by political activism. There was a significant interaction effect for depressive symptoms among Latinx students. Conclusions: Political activism serves as a protective factor to mitigate the negative effect of R/E discrimination on stress and depressive symptoms for Latinx students. For Black students, higher levels of political activism may exacerbate experiences of R/E microaggressions and relate to more stress and anxiety compared with Black students who are less politically involved. Findings point to the need for a deeper understanding of phenomenological variation in experiences of microaggressions among R/E minorities and how students leverage political activism as an adaptive coping strategy to mitigate race-related stress during college.

Comments

Accepted version. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Vol. 24, No. 1 (January 2018): 26-39. DOI. © American Psychological Association. Used with permission.

Gabriel Velez was affiliated with University of Chicago at the time of publication.

Recommended Citation

Hope, Elan C.; Velez, Gabriel; Offidani-Bertrand, Carly; Keels, Micere; and Durkee, Myles I., "Political Activism and Mental Health Among Black and Latinx College Students" (2018). College of Education Faculty Research and Publications. 585.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/edu_fac/585