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Using outgroup comfort to predict Black students' college experiences
Elizabeth R Cole1, Tiffany Yip
1Women's Studies Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1290, USA. ecole@umich.edu
Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology
|January 31, 2008
Summary
Black students' social comfort with White peers (outgroup comfort) positively impacts academic and mental health outcomes during their first year of college. Higher comfort levels correlate with better psychological well-being and reduced anxiety in academic settings.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Higher Education Studies
Background:
- Understanding the social dynamics and psychological adjustment of Black college students is crucial for their academic success and well-being.
- Intergroup relations, specifically Black students' comfort interacting with White peers (outgroup comfort or OC), may influence their college experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive relationship between Black students' outgroup comfort (OC) with White individuals and their academic and mental health outcomes.
- To examine how OC influences racial interactions, academic concerns, and psychological well-being in a college population.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal surveys administered to Black college students at the beginning and end of their first academic year.
- Experience sampling method (ESM) used with a subsample to assess real-time anxiety levels in relation to OC.
- Controlled for system-justifying ideology favoring the outgroup to differentiate OC from internalized oppression.
Main Results:
- Fall semester OC scores predicted spring semester outcomes, including interracial contact, academic concerns (in men), and psychological well-being (in women).
- Students with high OC reported lower state anxiety in academic settings compared to those with low OC during the ESM period.
- Anxiety levels did not differ based on OC in nonacademic settings.
Conclusions:
- Outgroup comfort (OC) is a significant factor in Black college students' adjustment, influencing academic and psychological outcomes.
- The impact of OC may differ by gender, affecting academic concerns in men and psychological well-being in women.
- OC is a distinct construct from internalized oppression, highlighting its unique role in intergroup relations and student development.
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