Don't Talk like That! Personal Experiences with Discrimination and Its Impact on Upstanding Behavior

Background and Purpose: Discrimination is a universal phenomenon defined as treating an individual unfairly or unjustly based solely on their identity. Identity-based discrimination includes but is not limited to gender, sexuality, and cultural background. A specific form of discrimination, such as verbal discrimination is increasing on college campuses in the United States. Previous research shows college students with a stronger sense of belonging on campus are more likely to intervene when witnessing verbal discrimination of another student. An individual develops a sense of belonging when feeling connected to a system in their environment. On college campuses, having a positive campus climate is necessary for students to find community and develop a sense of belonging.

The present study explored determinants of intervening among college students when witnessing verbal discrimination. We hypothesized feeling part of the campus community, perceiving a positive campus climate, and having experienced discrimination based on identity (i.e., gender, sexuality, and cultural background) would be significantly associated with intervening.

Methods: This study used cross-sectional survey data collected from college students (N=9,825) across the United States by the Healthy Minds Network during the 2022-2023 academic school year. The current sample consisted of 9,825 college participants across the United States. Intervening behavior was defined utilizing a self-reported, binary variable asking whether they intervened when witnessing someone using hurtful language. Utilizing IBM SPSS Statistics Version 29.0, logistic regression models (ɑ=0.05) were conducted to investigate individual differences (e.g., experience with discrimination, perceived campus climate, sense of belonging) to intervening behavior.

Results: In our study, significant predictors of intervening included a sense of belonging (OR=0.85; 95% CI = [0.82; 0.89]) and age (OR=1.03; 95% CI = [1.01; 1.04]). Logistic regressions were completed with four different types of discrimination, all predicting intervening behavior among those who had experienced discrimination compared to those who had not: gender (OR=1.67; 95% CI = [1.45; 1.92]), sexual orientation (OR=2.05; 95% CI = [1.64; 2.58]), culture (OR=1.48; 95% CI = [1.21; 2.55]), race (OR = 1.35; 95% CI = [1.12; 1.64]).

Conclusions and Implications: Implications for future research include developing interventions to provide and strengthen the sense of belonging and positive campus climate on college campuses. This includes providing opportunities for students to learn about individual differences and providing an inclusive space to process their negative but also positive experiences based on their identity. Moreover, increasing the understanding of different circumstances and contexts outside of college campuses should be explored to increase knowledge to understand the motivation in intervening when witnessing discriminatory behaviors.