Association between Cultural Discrimination and Depression Among International College Students: The Mediating Role of Perceived Neighborhood Environment

Background/Purpose: Depression poses significant social and academic challenges to college students. International students could be at a higher risk of depression due to experiences of discrimination, especially if they are racial/ethnic minorities and not fluent in English. The relationship between discrimination and depression, and how it varies according to demographic characteristics, remains unclear. Prior research suggests the relationship between neighborhood environment and depression. Moreover, perceived neighborhood environment explaining the relationship between discrimination and depression has been reported in the literature. However, studies that examined such factors on international students are scarce. The current study fills this gap by examining the direct and indirect effects of cultural discrimination and the neighborhood environment factors on depression among international college students.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey data collected from seven universities in the U.S. and Canada between March 2016 and June 2017 (N = 4,723) were utilized to select 228 international students for the study sample. The study included cultural discrimination experiences as the independent variable (14-item Likert scale, ranging from 0-56), perceptions of current neighborhood environment, including neighborhood cohesion and safety (7-item Likert scale, 0-21), as the mediator, and depression (CES-D, 20-item Likert scale, 0-60) as the dependent variable. Age, gender, race (Asian vs. non-Asian), and disability status (with vs. without disability) served as control variables. Multiple regression and Hayes mediation analyses was performed using SPSS 26.0 and the SPSS PROCESS macro version 4.2, respectively.

Results: In our study sample, the majority were female (71.5%) with an average age of 22 (SD = 5.0). A little over half of the international students were Asians (57.5%) and 16.7% had a disability. Most students reported experiencing cultural discrimination (81.6%, M=9.1, SD = 9.9). Asian international students exhibited higher depression scores (M = 18.95, SD = 12.3) than non-Asian international students (M = 15.64, SD = 11.4). Furthermore, more Asian students compared to non-Asian students met the cut-off or higher score of being at risk of clinical depression (48.4% vs. 40%). The average perceived neighborhood environment score was 14.5 (SD=4.2).

In the current study, more frequent discrimination experience is associated with less favorably perceived neighborhood environments (β= -.08, p < .01) and a higher level of depression (β = .28, p < .001). The perceptions of a more favorable neighborhood environment were associated with lower levels of depression (β= -.51, p < .01) and partially mediated the relationship between cultural discrimination and depression among the students (indirect = .038; 95% CI [.007–.081]). Among control variables, having a disability was associated with higher depression levels (β = 10.1, p < .001).

Conclusions/Implications: The findings highlight a concerning prevalence of discrimination experiences among international college students, significantly contributing to severer levels of depression. This underscores the crucial role of supportive neighborhood environments and college-wide anti-discrimination measures, including policy development, training programs, and culturally relevant services, in promoting mental health. Additionally, the vulnerability of international students who are Asians or have disabilities toward depression necessitates a thorough reassessment and enhancement of campus services to meet their needs effectively.