Discrimination, Depression, and Distress: Investigating Tribal Engagement as a Protective Factor for Native American Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Native American university students are empirically understudied, especially with regard to their well-being. The current study uses the transactional model of stress and coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) to explore the relationship between experiences of discrimination and negative well-being outcomes among Native American undergraduates. Further, reflecting findings that social support resources contribute positively to well-being outcomes, I explore the influence of Tribal engagement on Native American student well-being. Using data across two time points, the present study investigates the moderating role of Tribal engagement on the stressor-strain relationships between subtle and explicit discrimination (i.e., the stressors) and depression, social distress, and academic distress (i.e., the strains) on Native American undergraduate students. Findings support the protective role of Tribal engagement on Native American student well- being. Findings also support previous literature that demonstrated that subtle discrimination has a larger influence on strain outcomes than explicit discrimination. Theoretical contributions and practical implications for universities are discussed.