Intersecting identities, different struggles: The effects of demographics on experiences of discrimination and mental health outcomes among college students in Texas

TL;DR

This study explores how overlapping identities like race, gender, and ethnicity affect discrimination and mental health in Texas college students.

Contribution

The study highlights how intersecting demographics compound discrimination and mental health risks, particularly for Latinx women and Women of Color.

Findings

Discrimination rates were higher among People of Color, Latinxs, women, and non-citizens.

Women and non-citizens reported the highest mental health symptoms.

Latinx women faced the greatest vulnerability to discrimination.

Abstract

Diversity among college students has increased and, yet experiences of discrimination persist and predict mental health symptoms. The role of various overlapping demographics in predicting discrimination and mental health is understudied. In this study, we examined how gender,race, Latinx ethnicity, and citizenship status relate to experiences of discrimination and mental health outcomes in N = 1665 college students in Texas. Our results indicated that discrimination was endorsed at higher rates by People of Color, Latinxs, women, and non-citizens. Women and non-citizens endorsed the highest mental health symptoms. Multivariate analyses demonstrated greatest vulnerability for discrimination among Latinx women. Regarding mental health, experiences of discrimination associated with stigmatization were associated with deleterious mental health outcomes, particularly for Women of Color. Reflecting the growing scholarship on intersectionality, race and Latinx ethnicity acted with gender to compound risk for discrimination and the effect of discrimination on mental health.

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