A Cross-Sectional Examination of Rejection-Identification and Collective Action Among Latino College Students Following the Walmart Shooting in El Paso

Objectives: The present study aimed to test predictions derived from the rejection-identification model and collective action perspectives. Using a cross-sectional design, hypothesis 1 examined whether ethnic identification mediated the association between perceived discrimination and psychological distress, and hypothesis 2 examined whether attitude toward activism moderated the mediating effect of ethnic identification on the association between perceived discrimination and issue-specific activism. Method: 372 (77.4% female; Mage = 20.9 years, SD = 4.2) Latino undergraduate students from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) completed an online survey within approximately two years after the El Paso Walmart shooting, the deadliest attack against Latinos in modern U.S. history. A simple mediation analysis and a moderated mediation analysis were used to assess the relationships in hypothesis 1 and hypothesis 2, respectively. Results: Results of hypothesis 1 revealed that perceived discrimination was directly related to increased psychological distress, but not indirectly related to decreased psychological distress through higher levels of ethnic identification. Results of hypothesis 2 revealed that perceived discrimination was directly associated with increased issue-specific activism and ethnic identification. However, ethnic identification was not directly associated with increased issue-specific activism. Attitude toward activism did not moderate the mediating effect of ethnic identification on the perceived discrimination-issue-specific activism association. Conclusion: The findings highlight the role of perceived discrimination and ethnic identity development on activism engagement among Latino college students.