The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem in Predicting the Interaction between General Ethnic Discrimination and Social Interaction Anxiety on Indian University Students

Abstract

Our study explores the intricate relationship between perceived racial discrimination, anxiety during social interaction, and self-esteem of university students studying away from their native land and unable to speak the regional language. The study aims to explore the potential role of self-esteem mediating between general ethnic discrimination and social interaction anxiety. 180 university students, aged between 18 to 25 years, participated through snowball sampling. Significance level was set at 0.05. Mediation Models show partial mediation of self-esteem decreasing the association between experiences of lifetime experiences of discrimination and social interaction anxiety (ß = 0.055, p < 0.05) and also in the associative pathway between appraised discrimination and social interaction anxiety (ß = 0.053, p < 0.05). Our findings emphasize how long-term discriminatory experiences and its appraisal can be predictive of social interaction anxiety and the importance of higher self-esteem.