The Role of Ethnic Identity in the Relationship Between College and Immigration Stressors, Distress and Affect in International College Students

Adjusting to college can be difficult. International students who come to the United States can experience significantly more stressors than domestic students. Research has shown that a strong sense of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) can serve as a protective factor against many stressors (Neblett et al., 2012). The protective nature of ERI can be important for international students as they have two types of stressors: stressors associated with being college students and stressors associated with being immigrants. These stressors, in turn, increase distress, in the form of anxiety and depression, and result in more maladaptive behaviors (Mizra et al., 2021; Robotham & Julian, 2006). This study investigates the relationship between stressors, ERI, distress and affect. It is hypothesized that stressors and ERI can predict distress and affect. Thirty-four international students were recruited from an R1 university. They were asked about their ERI, exposure to academic and acculturation stressors and levels of distress. Three hierarchical regression models were used with college student stressors, acculturative stressors and ERI as predictors and distress and positive and negative affect as the outcome variables. Acculturative stressors were a significant predictor of distress and negative affect. While the results are tentative due to the low sample size, implication may indicate a need to reduce acculturative stressors to reduce negative mental health outcomes.

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Work Title The Role of Ethnic Identity in the Relationship Between College and Immigration Stressors, Distress and Affect in International College Students
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Hetvi Desai
Keyword
  1. Ethnic identity
  2. College stress
  3. Acculturation stress
  4. College students
  5. Stressors
  6. Distress
  7. Affect
License In Copyright (Rights Reserved)
Work Type Masters Culminating Experience
Sub Work Type Scholarly Paper/Essay (MA/MS)
Program Humanities
Degree Master of Arts
Publisher
  1. ScholarSphere
Publication Date July 2024
Subject
  1. Psychology
  2. Clinical Psychology
Language
  1. English
Deposited July 09, 2024

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Version 2
published

  • Created
  • Updated Keyword Show Changes
    Keyword
    • ethnic identity , college stress, acculturation stress, college students, stressors, distress, affect
    • Ethnic identity , College stress, Acculturation stress, College students, Stressors, Distress, Affect
  • Updated Degree, Program, Sub Work Type Show Changes
    Degree
    • Master of Arts
    Program
    • Humanities
    Sub Work Type
    • Scholarly Paper/Essay (MA/MS)
  • Deleted H.Desai Final MRP.pdf
  • Added H.Desai Final MRP_Redacted.pdf
  • Updated
  • Published Publisher Show Changes
    Publisher
    • ScholarSphere
  • Updated