Religion as Moderator between Racial Discrimination and Self-Esteem

Discrimination against black minority children was originally viewed as causing them to evaluate their own-group negatively and the white out-group positively, resulting in impaired self-esteem. Research, however, has produced inconsistent findings, possibly because of social change and the black consciousness movement. The present study investigated this issue among black South African children, a social group that has experienced particularly severe racial discrimination. As expected, the findings indicated that self-esteem, own-group racial pride, and overall ethnocentrism were significantly higher amongst older ( n = 37; 10 to 12-years old) than among younger black children ( n = 41; 6 to 8-years old). The younger children showed a slight though non-significant tendency to out-group favouritism, while the pattern for the older children was non-preference. However, the correlations of self-esteem with in-group pride, out-group prejudice, and overall ethnocentrism were non-significant suggesting that the own-group and out-group attitudes of minority children do not necessarily effect their self-attitudes.

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Ethnic-racial discrimination experiences and ethnic-racial identity predict adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment: Evidence for a compensatory risk-resilience model

International Journal of Behavioral Development ◽

10.1177/0165025420912013 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 433-440

Author(s):

Michael R. Sladek ◽

Adriana J. Umaña-Taylor ◽

Grace Oh ◽

Mary Beth Spang ◽

Liliana M. Uribe Tirado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Racial Identity ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Psychosocial Adjustment ◽

Group Membership ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Racial Group ◽

Risk And Resilience ◽

Related Risk ◽

Racially Mixed

Theory and empirical evidence indicate that ethnic-racial discrimination serves as a risk factor for adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment, whereas ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development promotes positive youth adjustment and can mitigate the negative outcomes of discrimination-related risk. In Colombia, the legacies of an ethnic-racial hierarchy, mestizaje ideology (i.e., the assumption that everyone is racially mixed), and contemporary multiculturalism education reforms create a unique context for understanding adolescents’ experiences of ethnic-racial discrimination, ERI development, and their implications for psychosocial adjustment. In this study of Colombian adolescents ( N = 462; Mage = 15.90 years; 47.3% female), almost 40% of participants reported experiencing ethnic-racial-based discrimination. Experiencing more frequent ethnic-racial discrimination was associated with lower self-esteem and higher depressive symptoms, whereas higher ERI resolution (i.e., gaining sense of clarity about ethnic-racial group membership) and affirmation (i.e., feeling positively about ethnic-racial group membership) were associated with higher self-esteem and lower depressive symptoms. ERI exploration (i.e., learning history and gaining knowledge about ethnic-racial group membership) was also associated with higher self-esteem and moderated the association between discrimination and depressive symptoms, such that this association was stronger at higher compared to lower levels of ERI exploration. Findings provide novel evidence for ethnic-racial-related risk and resilience processes among Colombian youth.

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Questioning the General Self-Esteem Vaccine: General Self-Esteem, Racial Discrimination, and Standardised Achievement Across Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Students

Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling ◽

10.1375/ajgc.20.1.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 1-21 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Gawaian H. Bodkin-Andrews ◽

Marjorie Seaton ◽

Genevieve F. Nelson ◽

Rhonda G. Craven ◽

Alexander S. Yeung

Keyword(s):

Racial Discrimination ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Positive Influence ◽

Indigenous Australian ◽

Indigenous Students ◽

Modelling Techniques ◽

And Performance

AbstractPsychological research and the popular media culture have repeatedly noted that self-esteem positively contributes to life satisfaction and performance indicators across a large variety of domains. However, while varying measures of self-esteem may be argued to have a positive influence on outcome measures, increasing evidence suggests that perceptions of racial discrimination may also have a negative impact across a wide variety of outcomes. The current investigation used structural equation modelling techniques to examine the potential impact of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian students' General Self-Esteem and their perceptions of racial discrimination on spelling and maths achievement. Results indicated that General Self-Esteem displayed little or no significant relations with the performance measures, yet perceived racial discrimination significantly and negatively predicted both spelling and maths achievement for the Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. In addition, no significant latent interaction between General Self-Esteem and perceived discrimination was identified, raising questions for the self-protective properties of General Self-Esteem, at least for achievement outcomes.

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Family support, self-esteem, and perceived racial discrimination among Asian American male college students.

Journal of Counseling Psychology ◽

10.1037/a0032344 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 60 (3) ◽

pp. 453-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Meifen Wei ◽

Christine Jean Yeh ◽

Ruth Chu-Lien Chao ◽

Stephanie Carrera ◽

Jenny C. Su

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Family Support ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Asian American ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Male College ◽

Perceived Racial Discrimination ◽

Male College Students

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Examining Racial Discrimination Frequency, Racial Discrimination Stress, and Psychological Well-Being Among Black Early Adolescents

Journal of Black Psychology ◽

10.1177/0095798416638189 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 219-229 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Yzette Lanier ◽

Marilyn S. Sommers ◽

Jason Fletcher ◽

Madeline Y. Sutton ◽

Debra D. Roberts

Keyword(s):

Racial Discrimination ◽

Black Adolescents ◽

Early Adolescents ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Two Dimensions ◽

Self Report ◽

School Students ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Mediation Analyses

Racial discrimination is a ubiquitous experience for Black adolescents; it has been linked to poorer psychological outcomes including higher depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. However, the mechanisms through which racial discrimination is associated with psychological well-being are still not well understood, particularly among Black early adolescents. The current study investigated two dimensions of racial discrimination: racial discrimination frequency (RDfreq) and racial discrimination stress (RDstress). Specifically, we explored the prevalence of RDfreq and RDstress among Black youth and whether RDstress mediated the association between RDfreq and psychological well-being. Seventy-four Black middle school students (68.1% female; mean age = 12.1) completed self-report questionnaires assessing RDfreq, RDstress, depression, and self-esteem; 72 were included in the final analyses. Mediation analyses were conducted using bootstrapping. Ninety percent of the sample reported experiencing some type of racial discrimination and 99% reported that these experiences bothered them. Controlling for age, gender, and ethnicity, RDstress partially mediated the relationship between RDfreq and depression. Study findings elucidate one pathway in which racial discrimination influences psychological well-being.

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Prevalence and Effects of Daily and Major Experiences of Racial Discrimination and Microaggressions among Black Individuals in Canada

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/08862605211023493 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052110234

Author(s):

Jude Mary Cénat ◽

Saba Hajizadeh ◽

Rosy Darly Dalexis ◽

Assumpta Ndengeyingoma ◽

Mireille Guerrier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Racial Discrimination ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Racial Microaggressions ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Prevention Research ◽

Job Status ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Black Canadians ◽

Public Commitment ◽

Police Encounters

The prevalence and correlates of different forms of racial discrimination among Black Canadians are unknown. This article aims to examine the prevalence of different forms of racial discrimination (daily, major and microaggressions) and their association with self-esteem and satisfaction with life among Black Canadians. A convenience sample of 845 Black Canadians aged 15–40 was recruited. We assessed frequencies of everyday and major racial discrimination, and racial microaggressions against Black Canadians and their association with self-esteem and satisfaction with life, controlling for gender, age, job status, education, and matrimonial status. At least 4 out of 10 participants declared having being victims of everyday racial discrimination at least once per week. Between 46.3% and 64.2% of participants declared having been victims of major racial discrimination in various situations including education, job hiring, job dismissal, health services, housing, bank and loans, and police encounters. Significant gender differences were observed for everyday and major racial discrimination with higher frequencies among female participants. A total of 50.2% to 93.8% of participants declared having been victims of at least one episode of racial microaggressions. Results showed a significant negative association between racial discrimination and satisfaction with life ( b = –0.26, p = .003), and self-esteem ( b = –0.23, p = .009). This study highlights the need to stop colorblind policies in different sectors in Canada, and for a public commitment to combat racism at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. Implications are discussed for prevention, research and public health.

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