The Relations among General and Race-Related Stressors and Psychoeducational Adjustment in Black Students Attending Predominantly White Institutions

Abstract

Two hundred sixty African American college students attending predominantly White institutions completed the Black Student Stress Inventory (BSSI) and a measure of psychological adjustment; academic performance indices on a subsample were obtained via archival records. Principal components analysis of the BSSI yielded a three-factor solution: race-related stress, psychological/interpersonal stress, and academic stress. As predicted, general and race-related perceived stressors as measured by the BSSI were related to psychological distress; academic stress was specifically related to overall GPA. In fact, perceived academic stress accounted for more variance in 1st-year GPAthan did ACT scores. Implications of the findings as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.