Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Jazmin Reyes-Portillo

Committee Member

Akina Umemoto

Committee Member

Michael Bixter

Abstract

There has been a surge in young adult exposure to online racial discrimination (ORD), which is associated with impaired sleep, greater anxiety, and depression. Evidence suggests that ethnoracially minoritized college students are at increased risk for exposure to ORD. Additionally, sleep disturbances (SD) may impact the link between ORD, depression, and anxiety. Thus, this study aims to explore whether increased SDs mediate the relationship between ORD, anxiety, and depression among ethnoracially minoritized college students. This study also aims to examine whether family support (FS) moderates the indirect effect of ORD on anxiety and depression. Participants were 495 (78.6% female, mean age=19.61) students who self-identified as ethnoracially minoritized and completed a survey with the variables of interest as a part of a larger study. Sixty-one percent identified as Latinx, 19.6% non-Latinx Black, 12.9% non-Latinx AAPI, 4.0% Multiracial, 1.4% MENA, 0.2% Native American/American Indian, and 0.2% as Other. Regression analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of individual and vicarious ORD on anxiety and depression through SDs. FS also emerged as a significant moderator such that the indirect effects of individual and vicarious ORD on anxiety and depression were no longer significant at higher levels of FS. These findings suggest that SDs have a significant impact on the relationship between ORD, anxiety, and depression and increased FS may lessen the impact of ORD on anxiety and depression. It may be important to consider SDs and FS when examining the effects of ORD on mental health among ethnoracially minoritized young adults.

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