Social Support Protects Against Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression: Key Variations in Latinx and Non-Latinx White College Students

Social support protects against perceived stress and its harmful effects on psychological well-being. College students in general are at high risk for mental health disorders, and Latinx college students face unique stressors placing them at greater risk of psychological distress. Social support may be a key construct in improving outcomes for college students; however, few studies have empirically tested whether the protective effect of social support is equivalent across racial/ethnic groups. Using a series of regression models, we investigated whether social support moderates the relationship between perceived stress and endorsement of depression and anxiety symptoms in Latinx (n = 265) and non-Latinx White college students (n = 216) and whether this moderating effect varied by group membership. Participants completed a series of questionnaires measuring social support, perceived stress, and depression and anxiety symptoms. The moderating effects of social support varied by group membership and outcomes (i.e., depression and anxiety). Social support moderated the relationship between perceived stress and depression symptoms for both Latinx and non-Latinx White students. However, social support only buffered the effect of perceived stress on anxiety symptom endorsement for Latinx college students. These findings suggest that social support does not function uniformly across racial/ethnic groups or the endorsement of depression and anxiety symptoms. Social support may be particularly important for Latinx students by providing a buffer between perceived stress and symptoms of anxiety. Public Significance Statement Pursuing a college degree can be a stressful experience, especially for Latinx students who experience additional stressors including acculturative stress and perceived discrimination that may place them at high risk of developing depression and anxiety. This study suggests that social support is protective against the adverse effects of perceived stress on depression for both Latinx and White college students; however, social support may be particularly important for Latinx students in the context of stress to prevent anxiety symptoms. The differing effects of social support across ethnic groups and across types of distress are important to consider when developing preventive and intervention programs for ethnically diverse college students.