Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity has quadrupled under the Trump administration (Blair and Hausman, 2026). Latines are one of the most impacted racial/ethnic groups, as there was a 225% increase in ICE arrests among them in 2025 (Ong et al., 2025). Such events generated significant concerns among Latines, who are more likely to worry about immigration policies than other ethnic groups (Noe-Bustamante, 2025). Immigration concerns are also linked to adverse mental health outcomes (Rabin et al., 2022). Consequently, immigration enforcement constitutes a mental health risk factor worth investigating, particularly among Latine college students who are underrepresented in immigration research. Using a subsample of Hispanic/Latine college students (N = 18,851) from the 2024-2025 Healthy Minds Study, this study examines whether emotional resilience, familial support, and campus safety buffer against the impact of deportation worries on depression and anxiety. Preliminary moderated regression analyses reveal that campus safety was the only effective buffer against depression (b = -0.34, p = 0.0025) and anxiety (b = -0.27, p = 0.0086). This study helps identify protective factors for Latine college students’ mental health in the wake of anti-immigrant policies.

As increasing numbers of individuals who identify with two distinct cultures enter higher education, understanding the factors that may facilitate their college adjustment and belonging is important. This is especially relevant given that bicultural individuals are most at risk of college campus alienation and disconnectedness. There is little research on the relationship between bicultural identity integration (BII)– the extent to which an individual perceives their cultural identities as blended and harmonious– and university belonging. Those who struggle to view their dual cultural identities as compatible may experience difficulties integrating socially, trying out new experiences, and are more likely to perceive discrimination. This study will examine how bicultural identity integration (BII) shapes students' sense of belonging to their college community. University belonging has been linked to a young adult's positive socioemotional development, psychological well-being, and self-esteem. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The PEO framework guided the review question, with bicultural students as the population, Bicultural Identity Integration (BII) as the exposure, and university belonging as the outcome. Studies were identified and screened through Elicit and Google Scholar, with study selection reviewed by a second reviewer. Findings are discussed. The proposed study aims to highlight the role of bicultural identity integration in university belonging, adjustment, and psychological well-being. This review may inform university initiatives, provide a foundation for future interventions, and promote recognition that individual differences in dual identity integration is an important factor in well-being and belonging.

Multicultural individuals are often denied membership in the groups with which they identify, known as identity denial. Having one’s membership in a social group doubted can be a threatening experience that triggers behaviors designed to resolve that threat. While these challenges are associated with greater stress and depressive symptoms, there remains a gap in the literature with a clear understanding of how different coping mechanisms influence a multicultural individual’s well-being. This study aims to examine the behavioral and psychological outcomes of responses to identity denial by identifying which response strategies can help mitigate the negative effects of threat and promote positive identity outcomes. In a sample of multicultural adults recruited via university subject pools and online platforms, all participants were asked to think of and describe a time someone challenged or denied their racial/ethnic identity. They were then randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions, where they were instructed to imagine and write about responding to that scenario or given a behavioral task to complete. Immediately following the manipulation, participants completed a follow-up task measuring identity signaling behaviors and an array of scales assessing psychological outcomes. We expect participants in the engaged response condition to report higher psychological well-being outcomes compared to those in the avoidant response condition. Examining these responses can reveal which strategies promote greater self-esteem, autonomy, and overall well-being in multicultural individuals.

Black students report some of the highest rates of discrimination in higher education, particularly at predominantly White institutions (Harper & Hurtado, 2007). Perceived racial discrimination has been linked to anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms among Black young adults (Nadal, 2011; Sue et al., 2007). This study focuses on racial microaggressions, a manifestation of systemic racism in which teachers, staff, and peers can invalidate Black students’ experiences, and in turn, perpetuate harm (Begaye-Tewa et al., 2024). While current research highlights the effects of microaggressions, less attention has been given to how Black students currently experience and perceive these challenges daily (Nadal, 2011; Lee, 2025). Specifically, this study investigates methods to measure and detect live experiences with microaggressions in Black students, using both hypothetical vignettes and items adapted from the Racial and Ethnic Microaggression Scale (REMS-45) inventory. Results suggest that students found vignettes slightly more upsetting, but less realistic. These findings have implications on the construction of vignettes and alternate measures that can be used to study Black students’ lived experiences with racial microaggressions.