Racial/ethnic disparities in US college students’ experience: Discrimination as an impediment to academic performance

ABSTRACT

Objective and Participants: Using data from 69,722 US undergraduates participating in the spring 2015 National College Health Assessment, we examine racial/ethnic differences in students’ experience of discrimination. Method: Logistic regression predicted the experience of discrimination and its reported negative effect on academics. Additional models examined the effect of attending a Minority Serving Institution (MSI). Results: Discrimination was experienced by 5–15% of students, with all racial/ethnic minority groups examined- including Black, Hispanic, Asian, AI/NA/NA, and Multiracial students- more likely to report discrimination relative to White students. Of students who experienced discrimination, 15–25% reported it had negatively impacted their academic performance, with Hispanic and Asian students more likely to report negative impacts relative to White students. Attending an MSI was associated with decreased experiences of discrimination. Conclusion: Students from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds are disproportionately affected by discrimination, with negative impacts for academic performance that are particularly marked for Hispanic and Asian students.

KEYWORDS:

• Counseling
• discrimination
• ethnicity
• mental health
• race

Author's Note

We are grateful to Sylvie Wong for editorial assistance in the preparation of the manuscript. The American College Health Association provided and approved use of this this dataset: American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment, Spring 2015. Hanover, MD: American College Health Association [producer and distributor]; (2017-04-17 of distribution). The opinions, findings, and conclusions presented/reported in this article/presentation are those of the author(s), and are in no way meant to represent the corporate opinions, views, or policies of the American College Health Association (ACHA). ACHA does not warrant nor assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented in this article/presentation.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Commonwealth Research Center (SCDMH82101008006).