An exploratory examination of the associations among racial and ethnic discrimination, racial climate, and trauma-related symptoms in a college student population.
In this study, we examined the association among perceptions of racial and/or ethnic discrimination, racial climate, and trauma-related symptoms among 289 racially diverse college undergraduates. Study measures included the Perceived Stress Scale, the Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version, and the Racial Climate Scale. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated that Asian and Black students reported more frequent experiences of discrimination than did White students. Additionally, the MANOVA indicated that Black students perceived the campus racial climate as being more negative than did White and Asian students. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that when controlling for generic life stress, perceptions of discrimination contributed an additional 10% of variance in trauma-related symptoms for Black students, and racial climate contributed an additional 7% of variance in trauma symptoms for Asian students.
Division of Counseling Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, ED 220, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12203, USA. apieterse@albany.edu
Alex L
AL
Pieterse
Robert T
RT
Carter
Sarah A
SA
Evans
Rebecca A
RA
Walter
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008873:Mid-Atlantic Region; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011287:Prejudice; D011594:Psychometrics; D011822:Race Relations; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult