Reclaiming Agency: Individual and Collective Coping in the Face of Racial/Ethnic Discrimination

Abstract The present study examined two levels of coping as pathways to resilience in individuals who face racial/ethnic discrimination (RD). Adopting a Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) framework, this study aimed to identify responses to experiences of RD that may serve to mitigate the harmful outcomes of this stressor. We hypothesized that meaning-making (i.e., the process of understanding why an event occurred and its implications) of RD and engaging in group-oriented action (i.e., civic engagement for the betterment of one’s community) would be associated with significantly better mental and physical health. We collected data on RD, levels of civic engagement, meaning-making, physical health, and depressive symptoms in a nationwide sample of 357 self-identified Black and Latine college students (M age = 23.6), via the platform Prolific. Results revealed that for individuals who have experienced RD in the past year, meaning-making of RD was associated with less depressive symptoms. This association was not present for physical health. Additionally, there was a significant interaction between meaning-making and civic engagement in predicting depressive symptoms, such that the pattern of increased meaning-making relating to fewer depressive symptoms was strongest for those who reported the highest levels of civic engagement. This indicates that in our sample, coping both individually and collectively, by way of meaning-making and civic engagement, together may be the most beneficial in the face of RD.