The Role of Coping in Perceived Racism and Depressive Symptoms Among Asian American College Students

The purpose of this study was to explore the moderating and mediating role of collectivistic/situation-specific coping and individualistic/dispositional coping in the relationship between perceived racism and depressive symptoms in a sample (N = 203) of Asian American college students. Data were collected from a large public Southeastern state university through an online survey. Moderating effects were tested using a series of hierarchical regression analyses as well as simple effect analyses, while multiple mediating effects were tested through bootstrapping procedures. Separate analyses were also conducted for subgroups based on gender, generational status, and household income.;For moderating effects, simple effect analyses indicated that low utilization of suppressive coping strategies, and high utilization of reactive coping strategies, strengthened the association between perceived racism and depressive symptoms. The results of multiple mediation analyses showed indirect effects of suppressive coping, reactive coping, and private emotional outlet on the relationship between perceived racism and depressive symptoms. The findings demonstrated how coping with perceived racism differs for Asian American college students on the basis of gender, generational status, and socioeconomic status, and highlighted the importance of investigating collectivistic/situation-specific coping and individualistic/dispositional coping to perceived racism. Recommendations for future research and implications for counseling practice were discussed.