Impostor phenomenon, minority status stress and racial microaggressions on the mental and physical health of ethnic minority college students

The impact of minority status stress, impostor phenomenon and racial micro-aggressions on the mental and physical health of ethnic minority college students was examined in the current study. Participants included: African American, Latino/a, Asian, Biracial, Multiracial and White students undergraduate students attending a large predominantly White university in the southeast. Results showed that minority status stress and impostor feelings are significantly related to mental health while racial micro-aggressions are significantly related to physical health and GPA. Impostor feelings were a significant predictor of mental health and racial micro-aggressions were a significant predictor for physical health. African American students were significantly less satisfied with their campus climate and Asian students reported significantly more impostor feelings. The culture of predominantly White universities has a unique impact on the experience and perceptions of ethnic minority students. Implications for working with ethnic minority students regarding mental and physical health concerns on predominantly White campuses are offered.