College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Graduate Level

Doctoral

Graduate Program/Concentration

Clinical Psychology

Publication Date

4-2022

DOI

10.25883/6drf-ey48

Abstract

Around 73% of students report experiencing a mental health crisis during college, and 64% report dropping out for mental health reasons. Research indicates that negative campus racial climate contributes to poor mental health, but few studies have examined factors that may moderate this impact. The current study examined potential moderators of the impact of negative campus racial climate on students’ mental health, including whether: (1) feeling valued and (2) belongingness at school may buffer, or reduce, risk and (3) higher racial saliency may increase risk. Data were drawn from the Healthy Minds Study, administered to a random sample of 4,000 students at Old Dominion University in March 2021.

Of the 413 students who completed the survey, 167 (40.4%) rated the climate at school for persons from various racial/ethnic backgrounds to be “disrespectful” or “very disrespectful”. Feeling valued and belonging at school buffered this risk. Specifically, compared to students who did not feel valued at school, those who felt valued had lower anxiety.

Keywords

Campus climate, Mental health

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Psychology

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Campus Racial Climate and Mental Well-Being Among College Students: The Role of Feeling Valued, Sense of Belonging, and Racial Saliency


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