Mental Health RAISR4D

The effects of racial discrimination on Black STEM students’ health: A daily diary study

31/05/2026

AI Summary

Daily racial discrimination increases likelihood of substance use among Black STEM students, even after adjusting for person-level covariates.
Mental health was worse on discrimination days in bivariate analyses but associations did not remain significant in multivariable models.
Findings demonstrate the daily toll of racism and call for policy and programme interventions to support Black STEM students at predominantly white institutions.

J Am Coll Health. 2026 May 31:1-7. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2026.2673433. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Objective: Black STEM students at Predominantly White Institutions face unique challenges related to racial discrimination, which negatively affect health outcomes and academic achievement. Participants and Methods: This study employed a quantitative exploratory design using experience sampling to examine the daily-level associations between discrimination and mental health and substance use among n = 117 Black STEM students. Results: Students were more likely to engage in substance use on days where they experienced racial discrimination compared to days they did not, even after controlling for person-level covariates. While mental health was significantly worse on days with discrimination in bivariate analyses, these associations were not significant in multivariable models. Conclusions: Results highlight the daily toll of racism and call for policy and programming to address racism and support Black STEM students on college campuses.

PMID:42218789 | DOI:10.1080/07448481.2026.2673433

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