Associations among Critical Consciousness, discrimination, and physical and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic
Experiences of discrimination are linked with greater mental health concerns. Additionally, increased experiences of discrimination have been positively correlated with critical consciousness (CC), the process through which people become aware of the structure that maintains their status of marginalization and work toward ending said oppression (Freire, 1973; Watts et al., 1999, 2011). Research on CC focuses on its role in empowerment and liberation. However, research on the role CC plays in mediating the association between discrimination and symptoms of anxiety during the pandemic is scarce. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between discrimination, CC, physical health, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. We propose CC will mediate the associations between discrimination, physical health, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. This study draws from a 6-wave longitudinal study on wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses data from waves 5 (February 2021) and 6 (April 2021). This study aims to see if 1) Worrying about discrimination in wave 5 will be related to physical and mental health in wave 6 among people of color (POC), 2) If CC in wave 6 will be related to physical and mental health in wave 6 among POC, and 3) If CC will at least partially explain the relationship between worrying about discrimination in wave 5 and physical/mental health in wave 6 among POC. Study participants included 442 staff and students from the University of Minnesota.