Study on the Impact of Microaggressions on the Psychological Well-being of College Students, Coping Mechanisms and the Mediating Role of Resilience Factors

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the psychological impact of microaggressions, identify coping strategies, and analyze resilience factors that help students recover from these negative experiences. The study utilized a cross-sectional research design. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select 150 college students, aged 18 to 30, from UGC recognized educational institutions in India. The Everyday Discrimination Scale measured the frequency and impact of microaggressions, the Brief COPE Inventory assessed coping strategies, the Resilience Scale gauged resilience levels, and the PWB-20 evaluated psychological well-being. The study found a moderate negative correlation between the frequency of microaggressions and overall psychological well-being. Microaggressions negatively impacted dimensions such as mastery and positive relations but had no significant correlation with self-acceptance. A weak positive correlation was identified between microaggressions and resilience, suggesting some individuals developed resilience through adversity. Higher frequencies of microaggressions were associated with lower levels of effective coping, highlighting the detrimental impact of microaggressions on coping resources. Mediation analysis showed that resilience significantly mediated the relationship between microaggressions and psychological well-being, reducing the overall negative impact. The research demonstrated that microaggressions negatively affected the psychological well-being of college students, with resilience playing a crucial mediating role. Problem-focused coping was identified as the most used coping strategy among students. The findings underscored the need for interventions to enhance resilience and effective coping strategies among students to help them manage and recover from microaggressions. Ethical considerations ensure participant confidentiality and informed consent throughout the study.