(PS10-40) Self-efficacy as a Buffer of the Relation Between Perceived Discrimination, Anxiety, and Stress Among Hispanic Immigrant College Students

Young adult children of immigrant families, particularly those without US citizenship, tend to encounter barriers when pursuing higher education (Colotl, 2017; Cuellar & Roberts, 1997; Flores et al, 2008), including experiences with discrimination as well as uncertainty and legal constraints regarding documentation status (Monico & Duncan, 2020). Evidence suggests these barriers can negatively impact immigrant mental health, particularly in contributing to greater perceived stress (Enriquez et al., 2018), anxiety, and depression (Cadenas & Nienhusser, 2020). However, self-efficacy – one’s beliefs in their capabilities to perform and the influence of their performance on life events (Bandura & Wessels, 1994) – may serve as a protective factor against such mental health difficulties and have impacts on career direction in college (David et al., 2009; Flores, & O'Brien, 2002; Flores et al, 2008). Using data from a larger study examining the mental health of non-citizen university students who immigrated to the US (n=1084), the current study investigated impacts of self-efficacy on relations between past-week discrimination and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among Latinx students using a multivariate model. Using the Past Week Discrimination Scale (Brondolo et al., 2005), General Self-Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995), and a 21-item version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21; Lovibond, 1995), general self-efficacy was found to significantly moderate the relation between past-week discrimination and self-reported stress (F(1,992)=9.47, p=.002, ηp2=.010) and anxiety symptoms (F(1,992)=4.92, p=.027, ηp2=.005), but not depression, such that participants with higher self-efficacy reported lower stress and anxiety symptoms when reporting high perceived discrimination over the previous week. Findings suggest greater self-efficacy may protect immigrant college students’ mental well-being from unique stressors like perceived discrimination when pursuing higher education. However, further research is needed to confirm and better understand mechanisms of these findings.