Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, Vol 16(1), Feb 2023, 1-12; doi:10.1037/dhe0000316
The current study investigated whether distress related to the Trump presidency, activism, and peer social support may directly or interactively influence minoritized college students’ symptoms of anxiety and depression. In particular, the current study sought to identify whether peer support may moderate the interaction between Trump-related distress and activism such that when peer support is low, activism may exacerbate the negative effects of Trump-related distress on students’ mental health; however, when peer support is high, activism may mitigate the negative effects of Trump-related distress on students’ mental health. Participants in the current study included 319 college students attending a predominantly White institution in the Southeastern U.S. Students were eligible to participate in the study if they were either first-generation college students, students from historically underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups, or students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Although results were not suggestive of interactive effects, results indicated that greater Trump-related distress and more engagement in activism were associated with increases in students’ symptoms of anxiety. The results of the current study suggest additional resources may need to be deployed by institutions and students’ support networks to bolster their psychological health in the context of Trump-related distress and their engagement in activism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)