Minority stress and college persistence attitudes among African American, Asian American, and Latino students: Perception of university environment as a mediator.

Abstract

We examined whether perception of university environment mediated the association between minority status stress and college persistence attitudes after controlling for perceived general stress. Participants were 160 Asian American, African American, and Latino students who attended a predominantly White university. Results of a path model analysis showed that university environment was a significant mediator for the association between minority status stress and college persistence attitudes. Additionally, minority status stress was distinct from perceived general stress. Finally, the results from a multiple-group comparison indicated that the magnitude of the mediation effect was invariant across Asian American, African American, and Latino college students, thus supporting the generalizability of the mediation model.

Ethnic Minority Status Stress, Self-Efficacy, and Persistence Intentions among Hispanic College Women: A Moderation Analysis

“…While there is evidence that the experience of psychological distress is negatively related to college students' grade point average and degree completion (Eisenberg, Golberstein, & Hunt, 2009), only one study was located that examined the relation of ethnic minority status stress to college persistence. Wei et al (2011) reported that minority status stress was negatively related to persistence expectations among a mixed group of Asian American and Hispanic college students.…”

“…Several studies have shown that when controlling for normative college stressors, minority stress is uniquely associated to ethnic minority college students' psychological and academic adjustment (e.g. Arbona & Jimenez, 2014;Rodriguez, Myers, Morris, & Cardoza, 2000;Smedley et al, 1993;Wei et al, 2010;Wei, Ku, & Liao, 2011).…”

A Woman’s Place: Women of Colour Navigating Doctoral Education in South Africa (pp. 15-35)

“…They found that for students of colour, observing and encountering racism increased their stress levels and decreased their positive feeling about the campus climate, ultimately leading to attrition. Numerous other studies have found that an unwelcoming campus racial climate is associated with feelings of isolation, students' feeling less committed to the institution, and higher rates of attrition for students of colour (Griffin et al, 2012;Hurtado & Carter, 1997;Solórzano et al, 2000;Wei, Ku & Liao, 2011). An interesting study by Griffin et al (2012) explored the role of campus racial climate in Graduate Diversity Officers' ability to recruit and retain a diverse group of doctoral students.…”

Higher Education and First-Generation Students: Cultivating Community, Voice, and Place for the New Majority by Rashné Rustom Jehangir (review)

“…The term, "first-generation," can be somewhat ambiguous within academic discourse. Wei, Ku, and Liao (2011) define first-generation students as minority students "who were born in another country" (p. 197). The National Center for Educational Statistics (2005) defines first-generation status as "students who are the first members of their families to attend college" (p. iii).…”

“…However, despite the author's rigorous methodology, some concerns still remained unaddressed. For instance, it is clear that the stress experienced by minorities (and arguably first-generation students) is different than the stress experienced by the dominant culture at a predominately White university (Wei, Ku, & Liao, 2011). However, I would argue that part of going to college is learning how to adapt to new situations.…”