For those who choose to attend college, the transition through the first year is a critical turning point in human development that has a lasting impact through adulthood. Unfortunately, depressive and anxiety symptoms, as well as suicide ideation, are increasing among college students. Rates of problematic alcohol use remain very prevalent, and there has even been an increase in marijuana use. The populations of college students are becoming more and more diverse, but many disparities remain. The goal of this study was to oversample students of color to identify risk factors for mental health symptoms and co-occurring problematic alcohol use.
This study consisted of 191 students, most of whom identify as students of color. All students were freshmen during the Fall semester of 2021. Mental Health was measured by measuring depressive symptoms via the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Anxiety symptoms were measured via the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. Somatization symptoms, Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), racial microaggressions, campus climate, perceived stress, poor sleep, problematic digital media use, academic burnout, using alcohol to cope, and negative effects were also measured.
The results of this study showed that mental health challenges are prevalent for first-year college students of color. Roughly 15% of the participants met the criteria for alcohol use disorder, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were correlated with AUD symptoms. When comparing these results to results of previous studies of primarily white students, it is suggested that students of color had more elevated rates of depression in the first year of college, but lower rates of AUD. Microaggression was relevant to internalizing symptoms but was not significantly associated with AUD symptoms. Overall, these results show the importance of administrators and educators acknowledging how racism impacts students of color and promoting practices that improve all students’ ability to reach their full potential.
Takeaway: This study suggest that experiences of subtle discrimination and poor campus climate influence the mental health of students of color at predominately white institutions. Administrators should acknowledge this and promote practices that improve all students’ ability to reach their full potential.