Racial Discrimination and the Indirect Effects of Forgiveness on Well-Being Among Emerging Polynesian Americans

• Main Author: Tanner, Emily E.
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2021
• Subjects: racial discrimination; mental health; well being; young adults; minority groups; Education
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/9231; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10240&context=etd

There is a lack of research on the effects of racial discrimination on the mental health of emerging Polynesian American adults (ages 17-29). This study examines the effects of racial discrimination and the indirect effects of forgiveness on mental health among 423 Polynesian American emerging adults. Correlations were conducted in preliminary analysis then data was further analyzed through multiple regressions to determine if racial discrimination predicts psychological outcomes. A mediation analyses with Hayes PROCESS macro bootstrapping was conducted to examine the indirect effects of forgiveness. Lastly, a point-biserial correlation was conducted to examine the effects of education level on perception of racial discrimination. Elevated experiences of racial discrimination were linked to increase of negative psychological outcomes including depression, anxiety, stress. In addition, experiences of racial discrimination were inversely correlated with anger and self-esteem. Participants with a high school education or less were more likely to report experiences of racial discrimination. Forgiveness mediated the relationship between racial discrimination and depression, anxiety, stress, and satisfaction with life. Implications are included regarding the necessity of mental health professionals to be aware of the psychological impacts of racial discrimination among Polynesian emerging adults. Additional results are provided, and implications of these findings are outlined.