Political Climate and Sense of Belonging in Higher Education: Latina Undergraduates and Mental Health

• Published in: Peace and conflict Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 356 - 364
• Main Authors: Sims, Ginette M., Kia-Keating, Maryam, Liu, Sabrina R., Taghavi, Ida
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springfield Educational Publishing Foundation 01-11-2020; American Psychological Association
• Subjects: Adults; Belonging; College Students; Distress; Ethnic groups; Exposure to Violence; Female; Health disparities; Higher Education; Hispanic Americans; Human; Latin American cultural groups; Latinos/Latinas; Mental Health; Minority groups; Political Attitudes; Political Issues; Psychological distress; Public finance; Test Construction; Undergraduate students; Violence; Latina; belonging; mental health; undergraduate; political climate
• ISSN: 1078-1919; 1532-7949
• DOI: 10.1037/pac0000448

Latinx individuals are one of the fastest growing ethnic minority populations in the United States. Despite growing numbers participating in higher education, there are significant disparities such as lower graduation rates and greater mental health symptomology for Latinx versus non-Latinx undergraduates. In particular, Latina undergraduates may face unique stressors and mental health disparities that call for further examination. The current study explores the relationship between NEPCs, violence exposure, financial hardship, sense of belonging, and psychological distress among 104 Latina undergraduate students upon their matriculation to a West Coast 4-year public university. Violence exposure and financial hardship were related to higher levels of psychological distress. The association between NEPCs and psychological distress was not significant. Notably, when sense of belonging was added to the regression models, violence exposure and belonging were the only factors that remained significantly associated with psychological distress, with belonging being linked to lower levels of symptoms. This study provides a unique contribution to the literature in empirically examining experiences of Latina emerging adults in identifying belonging as potential protective factor. Future research should investigate how to best facilitate sense of belonging among Latina undergraduates.
Public Significance Statement
Latina college students may face unique and increasing stressors related to policy and political climate. The following study found that among Latina undergraduates, violence exposure and sense of belonging were significantly associated with psychological distress, while negative experiences of political climate were not. Given the important role of belonging, future research examining macrolevel socioecological variables such as political climate should consider the relationship to sense of belonging and its consequences for mental health and academic achievement. Moreover, preventing violence exposure and promoting sense of belonging are important areas for future intervention studies targeting Latina youth and emerging adulthood populations.