Racial discrimination moderates associations between sociopolitical discussions and internalizing problems among racially minoritized college students.

Abstract

Objective: The present study investigated whether associations between sociopolitical discussions and mental health differed by racial discrimination among racially minoritized college students. We also tested whether associations differed between election years-when sociopolitical discussions may be more frequent-and nonelection years. Method: In November 2020, racially minoritized college students (N = 225; M age = 19.84, SD = 1.41; 72.89% female; 52.00% Asian, 22.67% Latino, 16.00% multiracial, 9.33% races including Black and Middle Eastern) reported how often they had experienced racial discrimination, their frequency of sociopolitical discussions with friends and family, and their mental health. Results: Results indicated that participants who had more frequent sociopolitical discussions with friends-but not family-only reported more internalizing problems if they had never or rarely experienced racial discrimination in the past year. To determine whether results were unique to discussions during election years, a second sample (N = 262; M age = 20.18, SD = 2.30; 82.53% female; 48.86% Asian, 18.56% Latino, 15.42% multiracial, 17.78% races including Black and Middle Eastern) was recruited 1 year later, and racial discrimination did not moderate associations between sociopolitical discussions and internalizing problems. Conclusions: Sociopolitical discussions with friends during presidential elections may be related to greater internalizing problems for racially minoritized college students who experience racial discrimination less frequently, potentially because they may feel less prepared or less motivated to have these conversations compared to racially minoritized college students who experience racial discrimination more frequently. Future studies should investigate means of promoting sociopolitical discussions on campus while attenuating the association between sociopolitical discussions and internalizing problems. Public Significance StatementCollege students who frequently have sociopolitical discussions with friends tend to have poorer mental health. Results highlight that efforts are needed to lessen the negative impacts of having these discussions with friends during election years and to avoid disproportionately burdening individuals who experience racial discrimination.