Racial Microaggressions and Psychological Distress Among Undergraduate College Students of Color: Implications for Socia
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Racial Microaggressions and Psychological Distress Among Undergraduate College Students of Color: Implications for Social Work Practice Ada Robinson‑Perez1 · Miesha Marzell2 · Woojae Han2
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract This study examines the relationship between racial microaggressions and psychological distress among undergraduate students of color and seeks to inform social work practice with that population. Participants in this study (n = 216) were from a medium-sized research university which is a predominantly White institution (PWI) in the Northeast region of the United States. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between racial microaggressions and psychological distress. The findings indicated a positive relationship, particularly for those students that lived off campus. Among other implications, findings demonstrate the need to further explore social and environmental factors in off-campus residential communities compared to on-campus residential communities. Keywords Microaggressions · College students · Students of color · Psychological distress
Introduction For most young people in the United States, the transition to college can be an exciting period in their lives as they navigate a new degree of independence (Arnett 2000). However, it can also be a stressful time as studies indicate that during late adolescence into their twenties, college students experience an onset of mental health problems that can impair daily functioning (Kessler et al. 1999; Zvolensky et al. 2016). Psychological distress for students of color results, more often than for their White peers, from exposure to high levels of discrimination (Bynum et al. 2007; Kessler et al. 1999). Specifically, anxiety and depressive disorders tend be higher among college students with racial and ethnic * Woojae Han [email protected] Ada Robinson‑Perez [email protected] Miesha Marzell [email protected] 1
Community Research and Action PhD Program, Binghamton University, Binghamton, USA
Department of Social Work, Binghamton University, Binghamton, USA
2
backgrounds, and these problems are often associated with perceptions of discrimination (Cokley et al. 2017; Soto et al. 2012; Zvolensky et al. 2016). Students of color may face social, emotional, and academic challenges related to levels of college preparedness while also experiencing burdens associated with racial microaggressions (McGee and Stovall 2016; Smith et al. 2011; Zvolensky et al. 2016). Racial microaggressions—verbal, behavioral, and environmental slights or insults toward those who identify as a racial/ethnic minority—are known to be detrimental and can cause impairment to the subjected person (Sue et al. 2007). Racial microaggressions are everyday subtle acts of racism (Sue et al. 2007) expressed as either explicit or implicit messages that cause confusion and stress for individuals trying to figure out how to identify, confront, or accommodate an oppressive o
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