BACKGROUND Ethnic minorities present specific mental health characteristics that are based on their unique cultural background. We aimed to investigate the mental health status and coping behaviors in the Guangxi Baiku Yao population, an ethnic minority in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 121 Baiku Yao, 149 Zhuang, and 141 Han from Nandan Guangxi were enrolled in a survey using stratified random cluster sampling. The questionnaires included general information, a simplified mental symptom checklist, life events, coping behaviors, and social support. RESULTS The number of stimulating life events in Baiku Yao, particularly in males, was higher than that in the other two groups. Anxiety, depression, and mental symptom scores in Baiku Yao were higher than those in the other two groups. After adjusting for demographic variables, variation in mental health that could be explained by negative coping and life events increased by 40.5% and 7.6%, respectively. All path coefficients were significant (P<0.01); the ratio of the fitting value and the degree of freedom was 1.496, and the root mean square error of approximation was 0.035. CONCLUSIONS Mental symptoms of the Baiku Yao population in Nandan (Guangxi) were more severe than those in other Chinese ethnic groups. Life events affected mental symptoms through negative coping.