Unpacking Discrimination Experiences, Depressive Symptoms, and Coping Orientations Among Racial/Ethnic Emerging Adults

Background and Purpose: Emerging adulthood (ages 18 to 29) is a pivotal time period that has been associated with increased levels of anxiety and depression (Arnett et al., 2014). The COVID-19 pandemic has presented additional challenges to young adults, including increased perceptions of discrimination (Lei et al., 2021), which can elevate their risk of developing depressive symptoms (Miranda et al., 2013). Although previous research has examined discrimination experiences among young adults, most studies have focused on the college-student population and/or racial discrimination experiences only (Greer & Brown, 2011; Lee et al, 2020). Little is known about the various forms of discrimination among racial/ethnic emerging adults and their coping disposition in response to discrimination experiences and depressive symptoms. The aims of this study were to: 1) explore the association between multiple types of discrimination (e.g., national origin, colorism, sexual orientation, etc.), and race/ethnicity; 2) assess significant differences in discrimination, depressive symptoms, and coping strategies among Hispanic, White, Black, and Other emerging adults; and 3) examine the relationship between discrimination, depressive symptoms, and coping styles in emerging adults.

Methods: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional online survey that was administered in January 2021 to a probability-based, nationally representative sample of U.S. young adults. The survey was comprised of a demographic questionnaire and the following measures: the Everyday Discrimination Scale, the two-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2), and six subscales of the Brief COPE. Data analysis performed included descriptive statistics, chi-square analyses, one-way ANOVAs, and multivariate regressions.

Results: Sample participants (N= 1,063) were non-Hispanic White (53.8%), non-Hispanic Black (13.6%), Hispanic (22.5%), and non-Hispanic Other (10.1%). Participants ranged between the ages of 18 and 29 (M= 24.44; SD=2.74), about half identified as female (50.1%), and primarily heterosexual (81.2%). Most participants were from the South (37.9%), had some college experience (35.4%), were employed (61.3%), and earned below $25,000 (30.2%). Chi-square analyses showed that national origin, colorism, and racial discrimination were significantly associated with race/ethnicity in emerging adults. One-way ANOVAs revealed significant differences in discrimination scores, substance use, self-blame, religion, and disengagement among the racial/ethnic subgroups. Multivariate analyses revealed that being employed, having income between $50,000-$74,999, identifying as LGBTQ, and perceiving higher levels of discrimination were associated with problem-focused coping. In addition, identifying as non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, having income between $25,000 to $49,999, male gender, residing in the South, perceiving higher levels of discrimination, and experiencing more depressive symptoms were associated with emotion-focused coping. Lastly, identifying as Hispanic, having income between $25,000-$49,999, identifying as LGBTQ, residing in the Midwest, Southern, and Western regions, reporting higher levels of perceived discrimination, and experiencing more depressive symptoms were associated with avoidant-focused coping.

Conclusions and Implications: Few studies have provided a holistic picture of the various types of discrimination among racial/ethnic subgroups. This study adds a nuanced understanding of various forms of discriminations as well as the relationship between type of discrimination experience and coping orientations. Findings from this study calls for more research on race-based discrimination among emerging adults and yield implications on adaptive coping mechanisms among racial/ethnic emerging adults.