Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 18, 2025

Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression
Published on: May 19, 2015
Microaggressions and Psychological Health Among College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model of Rumination and
Reya Farber1, Emma Wedell2, Luke Herchenroeder2
1Department of Sociology, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA.
Abstract:
Racial microaggressions are common experiences for students of color on college campuses. Given prior research connecting microaggressions to negative mental health outcomes, it is important to better understand the social context and process through which microaggressions are associated with poorer mental health. In addition, we put forth a psycho-sociological approach to microaggressions, integrating an attention to both individual psychology and broader social structure. Specifically, the present study investigated whether the indirect association of school/workplace microaggressions and internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) through problem-focused thoughts (a subset of ruminative thinking) differed as a function of horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism among a racially diverse sample of non-White college students (n = 549) from two universities in the USA. As hypothesized, problem-focused thoughts mediated the associations between school/workplace microaggressions and all three negative mental health symptoms. Furthermore, the indirect effect of school/workplace microaggressions on psychological health through problem-focused thoughts was stronger in students with high levels of vertical individualism (i.e., autonomous but recognize/accept inequality among individuals), compared to students with low or average levels. Our findings suggest that students of color who endorse vertical individualism are at a relatively greater risk of negative mental health outcomes related to school/workplace microaggressions via problem-focused thoughts. Future research is needed to examine additional factors that may buffer or strengthen the pathways between microaggressions and negative mental health in students of color.
Related Concept Videos
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Psychological Responses to Stress
Stereotype Content Model
Lazarus's Cognitive Appraisal Theory
Primary Appraisal:...
Self-Discrepancy Theory

