Poster #169 - Discrimination and Ethnic Identity Across the Transition to Adulthood

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Integrative Statement

A substantial body of research has found ethnic/racial identity (ERI) to be positively associated with adaptive and negatively associated with maladaptive psychosocial functioning among ethnic-racial minority youth (Rivas-Drake et al., 2014). Given that discrimination has been highlighted as a key contextual factor in ERI development (Umaña-Taylor et al., 2014), it is important to establish an understanding of the directionality between these two cultural processes. Currently, there is uncertainty regarding the directional relationship between ERI and discrimination. The Rejection-Identification Model (Branscombe, Schmitt, & Harvey, 1999) argues that perceived discrimination is likely to drive ERI formation. As youth experience ethnic discrimination, they become more aware of their membership in a marginalized group. Conversely, the Identification-Attribution Model (Gonzales-Backen et al., 2018) argues that as individuals develop an ERI, they are more aware of stigma against their ethnic group and more likely to attribute negative social experiences to discrimination. Building on previous studies (Gonzales-Backen et al., 2018; Zeiders et al., 2017), the goal of the current study was to establish directionality between ERI and perceived discrimination and examine the longitudinal consistency across the transition into adulthood.

The sample consisted of 1,616 Latino youth (51.2% female, Mage=13.99 years, SD = .40, Range = 12 to 16) drawn from a longitudinal study among Latino adolescents in Southern California. Surveys were completed in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades, and then four additional waves of data were collected 3-4 years after high school, for a total of 7 waves of data. To establish directionality, we conducted a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) with paths drawn between ERI processes (i.e., exploration and belonging) and perceived discrimination (see Figure 1). To establish temporal invariance, we imposed equality constraints on corresponding cross-lagged relationships and evaluated the tenability of these stationarity constraints by utilizing the ΔCFI (>.010) and ΔRMSEA (>.010) criteria. The model provided good fit to the data: χ2(126)=403.89, p<.001; CFI=.958; RMSEA=.037; SRMR=.051. Moreover, invariance tests suggested that temporal invariance, ΔCFI=.005; ΔRMSEA=.002. As such, path coefficients were interpreted at Times t and t+1. As shown in Table 1, perceived discrimination at Time t positively predicted ERI exploration at Time t+1 (β = .049, p<.001). ERI exploration also positively predicted perceived discrimination (β = .048, p=.002). Additionally, ERI exploration and belonging at Time t positively predicted belonging (β = .033, p=.030) and exploration (β = .103, p<.001), respectively, at Time t+1.

Extending previous findings, the current study explored the directional relationship between ERI and perceived discrimination among a more heterogeneous sample of Latino immigrants and from the transition from adolescence into young adulthood. As a whole, the present study provided evidence for a bidirectional relationship between perceived discrimination and ERI. Although ERI is positively associated with adaptive psychosocial functioning (Rivas-Drake et al., 2014), given the links between ERI exploration and discrimination, this study highlights the need for programs to support Latino youth with skills necessary for coping with discrimination as they develop their ethnic/racial identities.

Authors

• Julie Rodil, Old Dominion University
  Presenting Author

• Rachel Davis, Old Dominion University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kristie Robles, Old Dominion University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alan Meca, Old Dominion University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Melinda Gonzales Backen, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Daniel Soto, Old Dominion University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennifer Unger, University of Southern California
  Non-Presenting Author