The Mediating Role of Self-esteem on the Relationship between Perceived Discrimination and Depression

Description

Page: 407-412

Prerna Singh and Atreyee Bhattacharyya (Amity Institute of Psychology and Allied Sciences, Amity University, Kolkata, West Bengal)

The correlation between experiencing discrimination and feeling depressed has been studied empirically. Our research aims to clarify whether or not high levels of self-esteem serve as a mediator between the experiences of discrimination and the emotional well-being of college students. A total of 120 college students, randomly selected, participated in the study using standardized measures of perceiving discriminatory treatment, self-esteem, and depression. The correlation matrix and mediation analysis were performed and results were calculated using the Jamovi (version 2.3) tool with 0.05 significance level. Our results revealed positive relationships between the study variables. Moreover, we observed that self-esteem could significantly mediate the association between reported discrimination and the level of depression (β = 0.60, SE = 0.17, 95% CI [.26, .95], p < .001). Our results are indicative of the potential mediating effect of self-esteem influencing the effect of perceived discrimination on depression. Hence, the study revealed how self-esteem as a personal resource could impact the association between the study variables.