Discrimination Among Cultural Minority Youth in Germany: Sense of Belonging, Socioemotional, and Academic Adjustment

• In Event: 3-015 - Contextual and Longitudinal Assessments of Risk and Protective Factors for Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Across Three Countries

Integrative Statement

A meta-analysis of 214 studies focusing on racial/ethnic discrimination among adolescents concluded that there are consistent, negative effects of discrimination to adjustment (Benner, Wang, Shen, Boyle, Polk, & Cheng, 2018). Notably, a majority (81%) of the studies reviewed originated in the US. But because racial/ethnic discrimination is relevant for adolescent development around the world (Berry, Phinney, Sam, & Vedder, 2006), there is a great need for studies beyond the US. In this study we focus on discrimination and socioemotional and academic adjustment in Germany. While negative effects of discrimination on adjustment have been well-established, less is known about possible protective factors that can mitigate the discrimination-adjustment link. The centrality of relationships to well-being suggests that a sense of belonging on multiple levels in various contexts may be protective. Importantly, ethnic minority adolescents with a strong sense of belonging to their ethnic group (i.e., stronger ethnic identity) were less likely to be negatively affected by discrimination from their peers (Greene, Way, & Pahl, 2006). We test whether other levels and contexts of belongingness such as to national group, teachers, and classmates (Furrer & Skinner, 2003; Martin & Dowson, 2009) can also act as protective factors.

This study examined (1) whether experiences of discrimination related to depressive symptoms, physiological stress (e.g., feeling tired, dizzy), disruptive school behavior, and academic engagement and (2) whether a sense of belonging to heritage group (i.e., heritage identity), national group (i.e., German identity), with teachers, and with classmates, acted as protective factors to mitigate the discrimination-adjustment link. In contrast to the US, discussions of cultural identities and discrimination in Germany center around heritage or religious background and migration rather than ethnicity and race. Thus, we employ the term “heritage identity” to refer to adolescents’ feelings of belonging to the culture of their heritage group and ancestors rather than “ethnic-racial identity”.

Our sample included 442 adolescents (51% female, Mage = 12.4, SD = .72, 81% Germany born) with Turkish, Arab, Eastern European, or other immigrant heritage, recruited from 15 high schools. Adolescents independently filled out self-report surveys during two class periods.
After controlling for age, gender, nativity, and SES, multiple regression results show that adolescents reporting greater discrimination also reported greater depressive symptoms, physiological stress, and disruptive school behavior (see Table 1). The results also showed that a stronger sense of belonging to heritage culture (i.e., heritage identity) was a consistent protective factor. Adolescents with higher heritage identity did not show poorer adjustment with higher levels of discrimination, while those with a lower heritage identity did (see Figure 1). National identity and sense of belonging with teachers and classmates did not act as protective factors. In fact, those with a higher sense of belonging with teachers reported increasing physiological stress with discrimination compared to those with lower sense of belonging with teachers. The results are consistent with the recent meta-analysis regarding detrimental effects of discrimination for both socioemotional and academic adjustment. The results also suggest that heritage identity can be a protective factor for discrimination for German adolescents.

Authors

• Linda Juang, Potsdam University
  Presenting Author

• Maja K Schachner, University of Potsdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tugçe Aral, University of Potsdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• David Kunyu, University of Potsdam
  Non-Presenting Author

• Miriam Schwarzenthal, University of Potsdam
  Non-Presenting Author