Sponsor
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the Russell Sage Foundation award #96-18-02, awarded to Brenda Major and Tessa L. Dover.
Published In
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-7-2023
Subjects
Status uncertainty, Social mobility, Discrimination, Cultural mismatch
Abstract
Periods of social mobility, such as attending college, can challenge one’s status-based identity, leading to uncertainty around one’s status in society. Status uncertainty is associated with poorer well-being and academic outcomes. Little is known, however, about what experiences lead to status uncertainty. The current longitudinal study investigated discrimination experiences and cultural mismatch as predictors of status uncertainty. We propose that discrimination indirectly predicts increased status uncertainty by increasing perceived cultural mismatch with the university. Participants were Latinx college students, all of whom were low-income and/or first generation to college. Discrimination experiences were measured at the end of participants’ first year. Cultural mismatch and status uncertainty were measured at the end of Year 2. Status uncertainty was measured again at the end of Year 3. Results indicated that students who experienced more frequent discrimination felt more cultural mismatch 1 year later, and, in turn, reported increased status uncertainty over the following year.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2023 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1177/01461672231163736
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39761
Citation Details
Feasel, S. H., Dover, T. L., Small, P. A., & Major, B. (2023). Discrimination and Perceived Cultural Mismatch Increase Status-Based Identity Uncertainty. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 01461672231163736.