University Honors

In the United States, there is a present educational attainment disparity between Latine college students and peers from other racial groups and across gender. One major concern that can pose a barrier to education is racial discrimination, which can result in worse mental health (i.e. depressive and anxiety symptoms) and well-being (i.e. hope and satisfaction with life) outcomes. Community cultural wealth (CCW), which refers to the specific cultural assets that help students of color traverse through social inequities, has been shown to improve educational outcomes. For the present study, two domains of CCW, familial capital and social capital, were investigated as a potential buffer to the impact of racial discrimination on mental health and well-being. Gender was explored to account for potential disparities in interactions between CCW and racial discrimination. Results indicate that social capital moderates the relationship between racial discrimination and well-being by improving feelings of hope and life satisfaction. There was a contrast in life satisfaction between men and women, with men showing a significant increase in life satisfaction when possessing higher than average levels of social capital, while women did not experience any significant difference. These findings demonstrate the value of social capital in improving the well-being for Latine college students and implores investment in opportunities such as mentorship programs to help students navigate through institutional challenges. Future studies should examine other domains of community cultural wealth, such as linguistic capital, and how they support skill building, maintaining strong connections with community and culture, and as a protective factor against racial discrimination.