The Influence of Discrimination Perception on the Psychological Resilience among Vocational High School Students: Longitudinal Mediating Effect of Vocational Identity

Objectives: Psychological resilience is a critical resource for vocational high school students navigating social biases and fostering mental well-being. This six-month longitudinal study investigated the developmental trajectories of discrimination perception, vocational identity, and psychological resilience in this population. It further examined the longitudinal mediating role of vocational identity in the relationship between discrimination perception and psychological resilience. Methods: A total of 526 students from five vocational high schools in Guangdong, China, were assessed via convenience sampling at two time points: baseline (T1, September 2023) and six-month follow-up (T2, March 2024). Measures of discrimination perception, psychological resilience, and vocational identity were administered. Data were analyzed using a cross-lagged panel model to test for bidirectional relationships. Results: Over the six-month period, students showed significant decreases in discrimination perception and vocational identity, but a significant increase in psychological resilience. The cross-lagged model revealed significant bidirectional relationships: discrimination perception and psychological resilience negatively predicted each other over time (β = −0.124, p < 0.01; β = −0.200, p < 0.001), while psychological resilience and vocational identity positively predicted each other (β = 0.084, p < 0.05; β = 0.076, p < 0.05). The mediation analysis revealed a dual-pathway mechanism. T1 discrimination perception exerted both a significant direct negative effect on T2 psychological resilience (β = −0.332, p < 0.001) and a significant indirect positive effect via T1 vocational identity (indirect effect = 0.020, 95% CI [0.001, 0.046]). This confirms a partial mediating role, indicating that vocational identity functions as a compensatory mechanism, transforming the experience of discrimination perception into a potential source of psychological resilience. Conclusions: For vocational high school students, perception of discrimination directly undermines psychological resilience, but also indirectly fosters it through the positive development of vocational identity. These findings highlight vocational identity as a pivotal mechanism in the complex relationship between social adversity and mental resilience.