The Association of Identity Challenge Resolution Valence and Identity Perception among MENA Adolescents.

• In Event: Growing Up MENA in America: Racism and its Impact on Mental Health and Identity Development

Abstract

Objective
Middle Eastern / North African / Arabic (MENA) adolescents experience identity development in a cultural crucible. What it means to be MENA American is a challenging process of negotiating two cultures (Jassem, 2018); a challenge exacerbated in a post 9/11, post 2016, American context with increasing experiences of racism and anti-Muslim/MENA attitudes. This presents a substantial challenge for MENA adolescents who must navigate these complexities while creating a multifaceted sense of self and ethnic identity. While there is limited research on MENA American identity development, existent research on narrative identity suggests that the emotional valence with which individuals resolve identity challenging narratives is associated with differential resilience and wellbeing outcomes. In this study we examine the relationships between lesson learning and negative experience narrative resolution in adolescence to identity attributes and life satisfaction in emerging adulthood.

Method
We employed a mixed-method design in which participants provided narrative descriptions of specific events in which their race or ethnicity was salient, at the following development periods: 1) earliest childhood memory of such an event; 2) early- to mid-adolescence; and 3) within the last 2 years. Participants also responded to several quantitative measures including: a measure of perceived race/ethnic integration (1=complete separation, 7=complete overlap); The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (Phinney, 1992); and were asked to pick 5 adjectives to describe their feeling about their ethnic identity. Qualitative narrative experiences were analyzed through grounded theory and critical inquiry methods (Charmaz, 2017). Reflexive qualitative reactions were also collected, which situate the researcher in the narrative coding context (Berger, 2015). Lesson learning was also coded from these narratives in response to the question, “Did you learn anything about yourself from this experience”. Responses were coded as 0=no lesson, 1 = concrete lesson, 2 = abstract lesson. Lesson learning was also coded in terms of positive lesson (e.g., I am a strong person) v. negative lesson (e.g., I became distrustful). This investigation is focused on the adolescent narrative descriptions given their centrality to identity development. The sample was comprised of n=38 individuals who self-identified as MENA American. The sample was predominantly female (57%) with an average age of 20.8 years (range =18 – 29 years). The age at which the adolescent narrative experience occurred was 15.3 years (range = 13 – 19 years).

Results
The majority of respondents (93%) reported negative and/or conflict experiences in their adolescent narratives. Chi-Sq analyses indicated that participants who reported abstract lessons were significantly more likely to report a positive lesson and that positive lessons were significantly associated with adjective themes of embracing their identity and being resilient.

Conclusion
These findings suggest that positive framing of experiences of conflict and racism among MENA American adolescents may serve as a protective factor in promoting a positive sense of self and ethnic identity. Moreover, being able to link these experiences to the broader context of being a MENA individual in an American context may facilitate more resilient outcomes and has prevention implications.

Authors

• Habeba Elmadawy, Wayne State University
  Presenting Author

• Robert Ty Partridge, Wayne State University
  Non-Presenting Author