The Role of Resilience on Mental Health (Essay Sample)

Mental Health and Resilience in Their Role at African American Student Retention.
The purpose of this study is to see whether there is a relationship between mental health, resilience and retention amongst African American students. Though the study was conducted in HBCU, the results gathered here can help answer the question of why African American students are being outperformed by their Caucasian counterparts across the country. This also helps view the problem from a multi-factor perspective as opposed to a single-factor approach.
The Perceived Role of Mental Health in Retention for African American Students.
Acculturative Stress.
Acculturative stress refers to the strain that is associated with navigating away from one's culture of origin to another culture and has relevance for people of African descent in the US, including those whose family of origin seems to be tied to the US for as long as one can trace. (Brooks, Walker et.al., 2022). Some African American students may be experiencing this type of stress mainly because they perceive it as a threat to their cultural beliefs. To them it is likely that it means changing their belief systems in order to accommodate that of the campus. (Brittian,et.al., 2009). A study conducted on some of the symptoms of acculturative stress include: depression, low self-esteem and academic challenges. (Anderson, 1991).
This means that there is a direct relationship between acculturative stress and academic performance based on these findings, which in a lot of cases determines whether the student will be retained or not. Coming closer to home, a study by (Berry, 1998) suggests that African American students are at a higher risk of experiencing acculturative stress because of their status as a minority ethnicity. This makes them vulnerable to poor academic performance and low retention rates across the country.
Stress Associated with Transitioning.
African American students are possibly suffering from stress that is associated with transitioning from teenage-hood to now being an adult who is fully responsible for their choices. The fear of the unknown is a driving force to this type of stress and this is affecting some of the student’s performance. The anxiety of also understanding that this is an opportunity to build one’s life also plays a part in the overall picture. Especially for those students that come from financially underprivileged backgrounds. (D'Augelli & Hershberger, 1993).
Studies done by (Ceja and Yosso, 2000) suggest that racial discrimination on and off campus potentially play a part in the performance of African American students especially those that come from predominantly Caucasian-populated universities. Since retention is heavily determined by academic performance some students may find it a feat to survive the four-year journey.