The effects of college students' online experiences with racial/ethnic discrimination

Abstract Time online involves the risk of direct and vicarious online racial/ethnic discrimination. This study examined the day-to-day associations between online racial/ethnic discrimination and positive and negative affect, somatic symptoms, and anxiety. Participants were 208 fourth-year college students (25% men, 72.1% women, 2.9% not reporting gender; 36.1% Asian, 30.3% White, 17.3% Latinx, 7.7% Multiethnic, 8.7% Other; M age = 22 years). The sample resided in the U.S. Data were collected in 2020. Longitudinal data were collected via online surveys using a daily report approach. The prevalence of online discrimination experiences was generally low but impactful. Main effects analyses showed direct online discrimination was related to negative affect, somatic symptoms, and anxiety. Vicarious discrimination was related to negative affect and anxiety. The significance and strength of associations varied by student race/ethnicity (usually differences between White and non-White students). Findings illustrate how online discrimination impacts adjustment.