A Longitudinal Investigation of Discrimination and Mental Health in Chinese International Students: The Role of Social Connectedness

Race-based discrimination is associated with negative mental health outcomes for Chinese international students. Host and ethnic social connectedness have been demonstrated to buffer the effects of discrimination on mental health. However, most studies thus far have utilized cross-sectional designs....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cross-cultural psychology 2021-01, Vol.52 (1), p.61-77
Main Authors: Sun, Xiaoning, Hall, Gordon C. Nagayama, DeGarmo, David S., Chain, Jennifer, Fong, Michelle C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anxiety
Connectedness
Depression (Psychology)
Discrimination
Ethnicity
Foreign students
Health problems
Health status
Measures
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Mental health
Moderation
Race
Racial discrimination
Symptoms
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Summary:Race-based discrimination is associated with negative mental health outcomes for Chinese international students. Host and ethnic social connectedness have been demonstrated to buffer the effects of discrimination on mental health. However, most studies thus far have utilized cross-sectional designs. The current study was a longitudinal investigation of the effects of race- and language-based discrimination on anxiety and depression symptoms among 210 Chinese international students studying in the U.S. Participants were assessed during their first academic term at a U.S. university (T1) and 3 months later during their second term (T2). Measures included the Brief Perceived Discrimination Scale, the Perceived Language Discrimination Scale, the Social Connectedness Scale, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Results from a cross-lag model showed that T1 perceived discrimination was significantly predictive of T2 negative mental health symptoms, whereas T1 mental health symptoms did not predict T2 perceived discrimination. Subsequent moderation models revealed that this association between discrimination and mental health symptoms was buffered by host social connectedness (i.e., social connectedness with American students) but not ethnic social connectedness (i.e., social connectedness with Chinese students). This longitudinal analysis implies that efforts to reduce experiences of discrimination and to facilitate social connections between international and American students may help prevent negative mental health outcomes among international students.
ISSN:0022-0221
1552-5422
DOI:10.1177/0022022120979625