Lessons from the Community: Civic Socialization and Ethnic-Racial Identity among Latinx Early Adolescents

• In Event: Real Talk: Supporting Children of Color Amidst Inequity and Racism through Family and Community Socialization

Abstract

Recent political events have raised broader awareness about the injustices that many Latinx communities have long contended with. Parent conversations with their children about civic and political issues provide an opportunity to communicate civic values, discuss critical issues that affect their social groups, and strategize for effective actions (Lenzi et al., 2014; McIntosh et al., 2007). Additionally, youth may learn about the social status of their group from exposure to civic and political actions in their communities. Among families of color, ethnic/racial socialization messages about discrimination are thought to help guide young people’s understanding of the political status of their group (Flanagan et al., 2011). The present study examines the extent to which messages about ethnic/racial discrimination work in tandem with civic socialization at home and in the community to inform youths’ beliefs about the importance of ethnicity/race in their lives (i.e., centrality) as well as their views of how positively others view their ethnic/racial group (i.e., public regard).
Method. Data were drawn from a larger mixed-method study of three Chicago middle schools. The current sample comprises 274 self-identified Latinx youth (M = 11.91, SD = 1.23; girls = 52.9%, boys = 44.5%; missing = 2.6%; U.S. born = 91.2%, non-U.S. born = 7.3%, missing = 1.5%). Adolescents self-reported on the following: family (α=.68, IIC .31) and community (α=.85, IIC .52) civic socialization and sociopolitical discussions (SPD; α=.83, IIC .62; Syvertsen et al., 2015); preparation for bias (PFB; α= .90, IIC .63; Hughes et al., 2009); and ethnic centrality (α= .79, IIC .56) and public regard (α= .77, IIC .53) (Scottham et al., 2008). We also accounted for gender and grade level (5th-8th).
Results. Path models in Mpus 8.0 fit the data well, meeting or exceeding recommended thresholds (see Table 1). Community civic socialization was significantly and positively associated with centrality (b = 0.29, SE = 0.08, p = .000) and public regard (b = 0.38, SE = 0.07, p = .000). Family civic socialization (b = 0.17, SE = 0.07, p = .018) and PFB (b = 0.16, SE = 0.08, p = .047) were also uniquely and positively associated with youths’ ethnic public regard. The association between community civic socialization and public regard was qualified by a significant interaction with parental PFB: Receiving more PFB messages significantly enhanced the association of community civic socialization with public regard perceptions. In addition, a significant interaction of family civic socialization and PFB similarly suggests that youth who reported receiving more PFB messages evinced higher public regard only for those who also received more family civic socialization at home (see Fig.1).
Discussion. Previous studies have shown that more positive ethnic public regard supports Latinx adolescents’ outcomes (Rivas-Drake, 2011). As youth navigate the current hostile political climate, it is critical that they feel the support of others for their group. When paired with family and community civic activities, preparation for bias may contribute by showing how their family and community around them rally together to address inequities.

Authors

• Bernardette Pinetta, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  Presenting Author

• Deborah Rivas-Drake, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  Non-Presenting Author