Mental health concerns among college students have increased in recent years and students of color are less likely to access care. One factor that can contribute to mental health concerns and harm well-being is experiences of discrimination and racism.

Two new studies examine these issues. One study looked at barriers to mental health treatment for college students and how they vary by race and ethnicity. The researchers, led by Natalia Van Doren, Ph.D., with the University of California, San Francisco, found both distinct and common barriers to care among students of color.

They looked at data for more than 5,800 students across 26 colleges and universities who had screened positive for at least one mental disorder and who were not receiving psychotherapy. Across all the student groups, the most common barriers to treatment were preferring to deal with issues on their own, lack of time, and financial difficulties.

There were also several differences among the racial/ethnic groups. Black and Hispanic/ Latine* students faced more financial barriers to treatment than white students but were more willing to seek treatment.

Hispanic/Latine students also reported lower perceived importance of mental health. Similar to other students, Asian American students also reported financial barriers and a preference to handle their issues on their own or with support from family or friends. However, they also reported lower readiness, willingness, and intentionality to seek help than white students.

The authors concluded the study findings highlight “the urgent need for tailored interventions and low-cost brief treatment models that are accessible for college students.” In addition, Van Doren and colleagues note that the study “adds further support to previous findings by indicating that Black students see mental health as important, are ready and willing to seek help, and perceive a need for treatment, suggesting they would be likely to seek treatment if barriers such as financing and time constraints were removed.”

The other study looked at the harmful impacts of discrimination on mental health and well-being , and the differences across the intersection of race and gender among young adults. While discrimination was associated with worse psychological distress among all individuals, the authors found Black individuals seemed to have developed, even in young adulthood, resiliency and coping strategies that buffered the impacts.

Researchers Imari Z. Smith and Jan’nan G. Read, Ph.D., looked at the effects of everyday discrimination on mental health among nearly 4,000 people aged 18 to 28. They found that “the magnitude of the relationship varied by race, gender, and specific dimension of discrimination.”

Black men experienced each type of discrimination more frequently than any other group and Black women experienced each type of discrimination more frequently than white women. However, the psychological distress resulting from those experiences was less pronounced among young Black adults. Black men and Black women appeared more resilient than white men to the effects of discrimination on psychological distress. The authors suggest that this may result from resilient coping among older Black young adults similar to that identified in earlier research among older Black adults.

*Gender neutral term used in the research article.