Campus Racial Climate and Impostor Phenomenon among Black College Students: The Mediating Roles of Social Anxiety and Self-Esteem
Saved in:
| Title: | Campus Racial Climate and Impostor Phenomenon among Black College Students: The Mediating Roles of Social Anxiety and Self-Esteem |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Donte L. Bernard (ORCID |
| Source: | Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. 2025 18(1):S493-S504. |
| Availability: | American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) (DHHS/NIH) |
| Contract Number: | K23MD016168 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | African American Students, College Students, College Environment, Well Being, Predominantly White Institutions, Black Colleges, Anxiety, Self Esteem, Self Concept, Mental Health, Racism, Foreign Countries |
| Geographic Terms: | China |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dhe0000590 |
| ISSN: | 1938-8926 1938-8934 |
| Abstract: | Negative appraisals of campus racial climate (CRC) have been associated with diverse negative psychosocial and academic outcomes among Black college students. However, mechanisms that explain the association between CRC and suboptimal well-being indicators have been seldom explored. Furthermore, examinations of the psychosocial and academic implications of CRC appraisals across different institutions of higher education (i.e., predominantly White institutions [PWIs] and historically Black colleges/universities [HBCUs]) remain limited. To address these gaps in the literature, the present study examined the mediating roles of social anxiety and self-esteem in the association between CRC and impostor phenomenon (IP; cognitions of intellectual incompetence) among Black students attending PWIs and HBCUs. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional study of Black college students attending PWIs and HBCUs in the southeastern United States (N = 270, 76% female). Results from path analysis showed that, when indirect effects were not considered, CRC was positively associated with IP, but only for students attending PWIs. Examinations of unique indirect effects revealed that negative perceptions of CRC were associated with IP through social anxiety among students attending HBCUs, but not PWIs. Serial mediation analysis showed that social anxiety and, in turn, self-esteem explained the association between CRC and IP among Black students regardless of institutional racial composition. Our findings have implications for future research and practice that aim to enhance perceptions of CRC to augment positive campus experiences and academic outcomes of Black students as they matriculate to and through institutions of higher education. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1506099 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Negative appraisals of campus racial climate (CRC) have been associated with diverse negative psychosocial and academic outcomes among Black college students. However, mechanisms that explain the association between CRC and suboptimal well-being indicators have been seldom explored. Furthermore, examinations of the psychosocial and academic implications of CRC appraisals across different institutions of higher education (i.e., predominantly White institutions [PWIs] and historically Black colleges/universities [HBCUs]) remain limited. To address these gaps in the literature, the present study examined the mediating roles of social anxiety and self-esteem in the association between CRC and impostor phenomenon (IP; cognitions of intellectual incompetence) among Black students attending PWIs and HBCUs. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional study of Black college students attending PWIs and HBCUs in the southeastern United States (N = 270, 76% female). Results from path analysis showed that, when indirect effects were not considered, CRC was positively associated with IP, but only for students attending PWIs. Examinations of unique indirect effects revealed that negative perceptions of CRC were associated with IP through social anxiety among students attending HBCUs, but not PWIs. Serial mediation analysis showed that social anxiety and, in turn, self-esteem explained the association between CRC and IP among Black students regardless of institutional racial composition. Our findings have implications for future research and practice that aim to enhance perceptions of CRC to augment positive campus experiences and academic outcomes of Black students as they matriculate to and through institutions of higher education. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1938-8926 1938-8934 |
| DOI: | 10.1037/dhe0000590 |
