Relationships Between Racial–Ethnic Identity, Self-esteem and In-group Attitudes Among First Nation Children

Children’s racial (e.g., Black, White, Indigenous) and ethnic (e.g., Mexican) identity can influence psychological, social, and academic outcomes. Despite evidence that awareness of racial–ethnic marginalization begins during preadolescence, there is minimal research examining how children talk about identity at this age. The purpose of this study was to examine how preadolescent Mexican American youth conceptualize “who they are.” Specifically, we used the Ethnic-Perspective Taking Ability interview protocol to explore how Mexican American youth, ages 9–11, understand their ethnicity. Thematic analysis revealed four themes: Self as “Other,” Self as Invisible, Self as a Politicized Being, and Self as Community. Participants discussed feeling out of place, often feeling excluded by Whiteness, and needing to code switch. These experiences also were juxtaposed with a sense of ethnic pride and comfort. Implications for practice, advocacy, education, and research are offered.

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Ethnic identity and its relationship to self-esteem, perceived efficacy and prosocial attitudes in early adolescence

Journal of Adolescence ◽

10.1006/jado.1999.0281 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 867-880 ◽

Cited By ~ 118

Author(s):

EMILIE PHILLIPS SMITH ◽

KATRINA WALKER ◽

LAURIE FIELDS ◽

CRAIG C. BROOKINS ◽

ROBERT C. SEAY

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Identity ◽

Early Adolescence ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Perceived Efficacy ◽

Prosocial Attitudes

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Ethnic identity and self-esteem: an exploratory longitudinal study

Journal of Adolescence ◽

10.1016/0140-1971(92)90030-9 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

pp. 271-281 ◽

Cited By ~ 207

Author(s):

Jean S. Phinney ◽

Victor Chavira

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Identity ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Self Esteem

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A latent profile analysis of psychological sense of community and ethnic identity among racial–ethnic minority young adults from the southwestern United States

Journal of Community Psychology ◽

10.1002/jcop.22686 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

David T. Lardier ◽

Ijeoma Opara ◽

Emily Roach

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Young Adults ◽

Ethnic Identity ◽

Ethnic Minority ◽

Sense Of Community ◽

Latent Profile Analysis ◽

Profile Analysis ◽

Psychological Sense Of Community ◽

Psychological Sense ◽

Racial Ethnic

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Racial-ethnic Identity Pairings and Mental Health of Second-generation Asian Adolescents

Sociological Perspectives ◽

10.1177/0731121416683159 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 60 (4) ◽

pp. 834-852 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Preeti Vaghela ◽

Koji Ueno

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Ethnic Identity ◽

Racial Identity ◽

Problem Behaviors ◽

Second Generation ◽

The United States ◽

Identity Conflict ◽

Asian Adolescents ◽

Low Levels ◽

Racial Ethnic

Second-generation adolescents experience identity conflict when trying to adapt to the United States. This identity conflict may be compounded for Asians, who experience racialization of their ethnicity. This intensity of identity conflict and racialization of ethnicity is reflected in different pairings of racial and ethnic identities (e.g., Hyphenated-Nationality, Hyphenated-Asian). We examine how these identity pairings are associated with mental health. Analysis used a sample of 1,308 second-generation Asian adolescents (aged 15–19) from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study Wave 2 (1995–1996). Although not all associations were significant, low levels of identity conflict tended to be associated with lower levels of depression and more problem behaviors. Perhaps these identity pairings help reduce depression by lowering identity conflict while increasing peer conflicts. The analysis also showed that among adolescents with the same type of ethnic identity, mental health varied across racial identity, highlighting the importance of examining identity pairings.

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