Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination among young adult college students: Prevalence rates and associations with mental health.

Objective/Participants: In a large, diverse sample of college students (N = 2,230), this online study investigated racial/ethnic differences on type of discriminatory event experienced and perceived stress, and whether discrimination-related stress was associated with mental health symptoms. Methods: Prevalence of lifetime/past year discriminatory events was assessed and frequency of discrimination-related stress was compared across racial/ethnic groups. Correlations between discrimination-related stress and mental health symptoms were also examined. Results: All racial/ethnic groups reported experiencing all types of discriminatory events, though prevalence was lowest for White students. Racial/ethnic minority (i.e., Asian, Black, Latinx) students reported greater discrimination-related perceived stress compared to White, non-Hispanics. Across all racial/ethnic groups, discrimination-related stress was positively associated with negative mental health outcomes (e.g., anxiety/depressive symptoms). Conclusions: These results highlight the need to continue efforts to reduce discriminatory experiences of racial/ethnic minority students and to incorporate antiracism interventions in universities to mitigate the pervasive negative experiences of minority students.

Interoceptive attention or merely distraction? An examination of the effects of brief breath counting training on stress-induced alcohol-seeking behavior.

Prior research suggests brief mindfulness (breath counting) interventions may be effective at attenuating stress-induced alcohol-related cravings. However, it remains unclear whether this reduction in craving is due to increased state mindfulness or mere distraction. To test this, the present study examined whether brief breath counting would attenuate a stress-induced increase in the relative value of alcohol in young adult alcohol users, and whether this therapeutic effect was superior to simple distraction (cross counting). University students from England and the United States (N = 278, Mage = 20.2 years, 56.5% females) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: breath counting, distraction, stress-only, no-stress. Participants first listened to a 6-min audio file training the breath counting technique or control audio, before exposure to 2-min noise stress induction or no-stress during which participants engaged in breath counting, cross counting (distraction), or nothing. The relative value of alcohol was then assessed by preferential choice of alcohol versus food pictures. Results indicated that stress-only augmented alcohol picture choice compared to no-stress, and that this stress induction effect was attenuated to a comparable extent by breath counting and distraction. Group differences in alcohol picture choice washed out in the second half of the choice test. The results suggest that the therapeutic effect of breath counting (interoceptive attention) on stress-induced alcohol-seeking may stem from distraction (cognitive load) rather than a unique state of mindful acceptance. The implications of this lab study for mindfulness therapy are considered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Age Moderates the Association of Community Connectedness and Psychological Distress among LGBTQ+ Youth and Adults.

High levels of psychological distress present a major public health issue among LGBTQ+ youth and adults; however, research has repeatedly identified community connectedness as an important protective factor for mental health in LGBTQ+ populations. The aim of the present study was to examine whether age moderates the association of community connectedness on psychological distress in a community sample of LGBTQ+ people. In the present exploratory study, we analyzed secondary cross-sectional data from a sample of LGBTQ+ youth and adults (n = 292) in a semi-rural community in the Western United States. Participants completed a measure of community connectedness, the K6, and the PHQ-4. The results of two moderation models showed that the negative association of community connectedness on psychological distress was strongest among youth, weaker among young adults, and nonsignificant among older middle-aged adults and older adults. These results provide further evidence for the potential buffering role of community connectedness on psychological distress for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults.

Compounding Privilege, Resilience, and Nonmedical Prescription Stimulant Use among College Students.

Background: In this study, we examined why non-Hispanic White cisgender men are more likely than other subgroups to misuse prescription stimulants in college. The objective of the current study was to use a strength-based framework to examine intersectional demographic predictors. Methods: We examined gender and race/ethnicity as predictors of nonmedical prescription stimulant use (NPS) among college students. We also investigated resilience as a moderator. This report uses data from an online multisite study conducted at seven universities with 4,764 undergraduate students (70.1% women and 52.0% People of Color). Results: We found that college students who were cisgender men and non-Hispanic White used NPS significantly more than students who identified as another gender and as People of Color. There was also a buffering effect of resilience between race/ethnicity and NPS, such that resilience predicted lower NPS for People of Color, but not non-Hispanic White people 28% of the time. Conclusions: It may be that Students of Color are more resilient than non-Hispanic White students, and this resilience is protective of NPS use in college. Importantly, a compounding-privilege and/or intersectional approach to identity is crucial to fully understanding behavior (in this case NPS) in a diversity of college students; future studies should continue to use and develop such approaches.

A qualitative examination of college students' perceptions of cannabis: insights into the normalization of cannabis use on a college campus.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to qualitatively examine how perceptions of cannabis differ among college students in an effort to better understand the changing landscape of cannabis on college campuses. Participants: Forty-six predominantly male (69.9%; Mage = 23.15, SD = 4.11) college students attending a border state university (i.e., a state that has not yet legalized cannabis but borders a state that has). Methods: Participants engaged in facilitated focus group discussions (N = 5) about cannabis-related issues. Results: Thematic analysis uncovered three primary themes and six subthemes. Main themes included: 1) User Heterogeneity and Identity, 2) Relative Benefits and Harms of Cannabis, and 3) Social Position of Cannabis on Campus Culture. Conclusions: Cannabis has quickly integrated into the college social environment, with social stigmatization and identification with cannabis impacting decisions to use. Findings inform existing college health programs on how to approach conversations about cannabis with students.

Sexual Minority Status, Affect Lability, and Suicide Ideation: Buffering Role of Trait Mindfulness.

OBJECTIVE: Emotion regulation has been proposed as a mechanism driving sexual orientation disparities in suicide ideation (SI), but little research has examined the role of affect lability in the association of sexual minority identity and SI. As prior research has found trait mindfulness to be associated with lower SI, the objective of the present study was to examine the buffering role of mindfulness in the associations of sexual orientation, affect lability, and SI. METHOD: The present study used a moderated mediation model to examine a cross-sectional dataset consisting of heterosexual (n = 1511) and sexual minority (n = 355) U.S. college students (N = 1866), to examine whether five facets of mindfulness moderated the indirect association of sexual minority identity on SI via affect lability. RESULTS: As predicted, sexual minority identity was associated with higher affect lability, which in turn was associated with higher SI. Acting with awareness (i.e., attending to the present activities), describing (i.e., the ability to verbalize inner experiences), and non-judging (i.e., refraining from judging inner experiences) buffered the indirect association of sexual minority identity on SI via affect lability, such that the indirect association weakened at higher levels of those mindfulness facets. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a better understanding of the emotion regulation mechanisms underlying the higher risk of SI among sexual minorities. Future research is needed to examine mindfulness facets as buffers against SI among other communities, and to examine the efficacy of emotion regulation and mindfulness interventions in reducing suicide ideation and other aspects of suicidality (i.e., plans/attempts).HighlightsSexual orientation disparities in suicide ideation (SI) and affect lability.Sexual minority identity linked to higher SI via higher affect lability.Three mindfulness facets attenuated indirect association of identity on SI.

Anxiety Symptoms and Alcohol-Related Problems among College Students: A Moderated-Mediation Model of Rumination and Emotion Dysregulation.

OBJECTIVES: Prior research has individually linked rumination, anxiety, and emotion dysregulation to alcohol misuse, but limited research has examined a comprehensive model linking these variables together. The present study tested a moderated-mediation model to examine whether emotion dysregulation moderated the indirect association of anxiety symptoms on alcohol-related problems via ruminative thinking styles. Method: Participants were 448 college students who consumed alcohol in the previous month. A plurality of participants identified as being White, non-Hispanic (40.6%), female (68.6%), and reported a mean age of 22.75 (Median = 20.00; SD = 6.84) years. Results: Brooding and reflection subtypes of ruminative thinking mediated the association between anxiety symptoms and alcohol-related problems with higher rates of anxiety symptoms associated with higher ruminative thinking, which in turn was associated with more alcohol-related problems. Further, the indirect effect of anxiety symptoms on alcohol-related problems through ruminative thinking was stronger for individuals who reported high levels of emotion dysregulation compared to those with average and low levels of emotion dysregulation. Conclusions: In support of prior work, our results suggest that ruminative thinking, particularly brooding and reflection, are key mechanisms through which anxiety symptoms relate to problematic alcohol use, especially among individuals with high emotion dysregulation. Additional work is needed to test whether decoupling the associations between negative emotional states and ruminative thinking among college students with high emotion dysregulation is a viable intervention target to reduce problematic alcohol use.

Microaggressions and Psychological Health Among College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model of Rumination and Social Structure Beliefs.

Racial microaggressions are common experiences for students of color on college campuses. Given prior research connecting microaggressions to negative mental health outcomes, it is important to better understand the social context and process through which microaggressions are associated with poorer mental health. In addition, we put forth a psycho-sociological approach to microaggressions, integrating an attention to both individual psychology and broader social structure. Specifically, the present study investigated whether the indirect association of school/workplace microaggressions and internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) through problem-focused thoughts (a subset of ruminative thinking) differed as a function of horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism among a racially diverse sample of non-White college students (n = 549) from two universities in the USA. As hypothesized, problem-focused thoughts mediated the associations between school/workplace microaggressions and all three negative mental health symptoms. Furthermore, the indirect effect of school/workplace microaggressions on psychological health through problem-focused thoughts was stronger in students with high levels of vertical individualism (i.e., autonomous but recognize/accept inequality among individuals), compared to students with low or average levels. Our findings suggest that students of color who endorse vertical individualism are at a relatively greater risk of negative mental health outcomes related to school/workplace microaggressions via problem-focused thoughts. Future research is needed to examine additional factors that may buffer or strengthen the pathways between microaggressions and negative mental health in students of color.