MICROAGGRESSIONS TOWARD MINORITY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND THEIR MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS ONE YEAR LATER

Abstract

"Minority university students in the US often regularly face the toxic effects of racial-ethnic microaggressions that may negatively impact their mental health. Although the impact of racial-ethnic microaggressions has been frequently studied in cross-sectional studies, little is known about their potential long-term consequences to mental health among minority students in universities. To investigate these hypothesized relationships, 45 minority university students were recruited to participate in a study examining microaggressions longitudinally. It was hypothesized that racial-ethnic microaggressions would be significantly associated with anxiety and depression symptoms as reported by the students longitudinally. Participants completed the College Student Microaggressions Measure (CSMM) at baseline, and then completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at the one-year follow-up assessment. Thirty-five (77.8%) participants completed the follow-up. Multiple linear regression found support for study hypotheses. Total CSMM scores were significantly and positively associated with total BAI scores (Full Model R2 = .247, p < .01) and with total BDI scores (Full Model R2 = .244, p < .01), when controlling for gender effects. Racial-ethnic microaggressions appear to be a potential threat to the long-term health of minority students in universities. Next steps are suggested for research and campus interventions."