COVID-19-related direct and vicarious racial discrimination: Associations with psychological distress among U.S. college students.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a myriad of racist incidents targeting minorities in the U.S. Young adults are susceptible to direct and vicarious (indirect) pandemic-related racial discrimination. We sought to examine associations between both types of discrimination experiences and psychological distress among college students across different racial groups. METHODS: We analyzed self-reported data from 64,041 undergraduate students from the Spring 2021 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment. Logistic regression examined odds of severe distress based on self-reported exposure to direct and vicarious racial discrimination. RESULTS: Even after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and prior mental health diagnoses, there was a significant association between direct discrimination and distress among Asian (AOR: 1.3, p < 0.001), Hispanic (AOR: 1.6, p < 0.001), and Multiracial (AOR: 1.4, p < 0.001) students. Vicarious discrimination was significantly associated with distress among White (AOR: 1.4, p < 0.001), Asian (AOR: 1.4, p < 0.001), Hispanic (AOR: 1.5, p < 0.001), and Multiracial (AOR: 1.3, p < 0.001) students. Further analysis considering distress as a continuous measure revealed a significant association between vicarious discrimination and distress for Black participants (ß = 0.9, p < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: Self-reported variables are susceptible to recall bias. Minority racial group analyses may be underpowered. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal an overall link between both direct and vicarious racial discrimination and distress across several racial groups. Further studies should examine effective mental health interventions and anti-racism initiatives to support students who have experienced direct or vicarious discrimination due to COVID-19.

Testing positive, losing a loved one, and financial hardship: Real-world impacts of COVID-19 on US college student distress.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on U.S. college students. In addition to facing academic-related stress and social pressures, these individuals are now increasingly susceptible to experiences such as contracting the virus, losing loved ones to COVID-19, or facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. The effects of such personal, pandemic-related experiences on young adult mental health - and the inherent racial disparities within these outcomes - remain largely understudied. METHODS: We analyzed 65,568 undergraduate students from the Spring 2021 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA). RESULTS: The rates of the aforementioned COVID-19-related stressors were unevenly distributed across racial groups. A logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of moderate and serious psychological distress revealed that participants who had experienced the death of a loved one had 1.14 times greater odds of developing psychological distress (p < 0.0001). Those who experienced financial hardship had an odds ratio of 1.78 (p < 0.0001). Surprisingly, testing positive for COVID-19 was associated with an odds ratio of 0.82 of psychological distress (p < 0.0001). LIMITATIONS: Self-reported measures are susceptible to recall bias and misinterpretation. Exposure and outcome variables were measured simultaneously in this cross-sectional study which limits inference on causality. CONCLUSIONS: Financial burdens and bereavement are especially impactful stressors among college students during the pandemic, whereas contracting COVID-19 seemingly exhibits less impact on distress levels. When addressing student wellbeing, institutions should consider prioritizing the implementation of resources to support individuals affected by pandemic-related financial and familial losses.