Well-Being and Support Network Affiliations for Black and Indigenous College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

While much of the research suggests that quality relationships and supportive campus environments shape well-being in college, racialized experiences can moderate the effort students put into their academic and well-being endeavors. However, our understanding of how relationships and networks support student well-being is understudied. This descriptive study employs a critical-relational well-being framework to analyze (n = 1200) survey responses from the Healthy Minds survey to determine perceived institutional and personal well-being support connections for Black and Indigenous college students in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive two-mode social network analysis suggests a slight decrease in support network diversity and network differences in perceived well-being support by the level of well-being and gender. Faculty and advisors were structurally central in Black and Indigenous men’s well-being support and for those with higher well-being, but less central for Black and Indigenous women, and those with lower well-being. While family and friends provided vital social support, campus actors such as professors from class and academic advisors also served central structural roles for students with more diverse networks. Teaching assistants, student affairs staff, and religious affiliations served unique roles for students with fewer support role categories.