Associations between critical consciousness and well‐being in a national sample of college students during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Critical consciousness (CC) may promote well‐being, particularly during the COVID‐19 pandemic. In a national survey of 707 college students conducted in April 2020, we first validated the Short Critical Consciousness Scale (ShoCCS) among youth groups not often specifically examined in CC measurement (i.e., Asian, immigrant‐origin, LGBQ+, and women youth). Next, we examined associations between ShoCCS subscales and validated measures of both anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7) and hopefulness (The Individual‐Differences Measure in Hopefulness). The ShoCCS achieved measurement invariance across racial/ethnic groups and immigrant‐origin status, and partial invariance among LGBQ+ and women‐identifying youth. We found critical reflection and action associated with anxiety for the full sample, but no evidence of moderation by sociodemographic factors. ShoCCS subscales were differentially associated with hopefulness for Asian youth and LGBQ+ youth. This study contributes to the evolution of CC measurement and extends the field by identifying well‐being associations during the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Critical action among Asian and Hispanic/Latinx youth: Identifying a multidimensional measure and exploring within‐group differences

“…What may be missing are more diverse ways of taking critical action, for example, through service that is intended to address a structural inequality. The same sample of Asian youth demonstrated very high scores on critical reflection, and further, critical action was associated with lower hopefulness (Maker Castro et al, 2022).…”

Critical Consciousness and Wellbeing in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review

“…The study of critical consciousness and wellbeing in young adulthood is characterized by a focus on college students. Six of the nine studies worked with USA college student samples (Ballard et al, 2020;Fernández et al, 2018;Hope et al, 2018;Klar & Kassar, 2009;Vaccaro & Mena 2011;Maker Castro et al, 2022). Ballard et al (2019) 2021) studied young adults in Hong Kong, with college attendance not specified.…”

“…Ballard et al (2019) 2021) studied young adults in Hong Kong, with college attendance not specified. Four studies drew from ethnically/racially diverse national samples (Ballard et al, 2019b(Ballard et al, , 2020Maker Castro et al, 2022;Wray-Lake et al, 2019). Three studies focused on college students facing ethnic/racial marginalization with intersecting marginalizing forces: women of color (Fernández et al, 2018), Black and Latinx mainly first-generation college students (Hope et al, 2018,), and LGBTQ + youth of color (Vaccaro & Mena, 2011).…”

Examining the Sociopolitical Development of Immigrant‐Origin Youth During a Season of Social Unrest

“…For example, in the past decade, I‐O youth have led movements to protect undocumented communities (Hope et al., 2016; Pinetta et al., 2020), participated in the BLM movement (Hope et al., 2016), and otherwise demanded social and political change in a society that is stringently working to exclude them (Pinetta et al., 2020; Suárez‐Orozco et al., 2018). Furthermore, I‐O youth may uniquely draw upon transnational contexts (Wilf et al., 2022) or draw from their position as first‐ or second‐generation youth (Maker Castro et al., 2022) to inform their SPD development.…”