Examining how Socialization and Discrimination Impact Multiracial Identity Across Development: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

The Multiracial population, comprised of individuals with biological parents of different racial backgrounds, is growing at a rate three times faster than the overall rate of population growth in the United States (Parker et al., 2015). Scholars across the fields of socialization (Umaña-Taylor & Hill, 2020), discrimination (Seaton et al., 2018), and identity (Gaither, 2015) have called for increased scholarship on the unique lived experiences of Multiracial individuals. This symposium answers these calls by highlighting qualitative, mixed methods, and quantitative approaches to understanding how factors such as socialization and various forms of discrimination relate to identity development and psychological adjustment among Multiracial youth across various stages of development.

In the first investigation, mixed methods are employed to examine how external messages, including messages that invalidate Multiracial identity, longitudinally impact how Multiracial youth talk about and define their racial identity across middle childhood. In the second study, qualitative methods are used to examine the unique and complex types of racial socialization Multiracial emerging adults received from their parents growing up – with an emphasis on how these different types of messages do or do not acknowledge a child’s Multiracial experience. Finally, the third study uses exploratory quantitative methods to compare across four Biracial sub-groups the extent to which Multiracial pride may protect against greater depressive symptomatology due to discrimination and challenges forming a strong racial identity. Our discussant will synthesize these findings and provide future directions to better guide the continued study of development among Multiracial youth.

Sub Unit

• Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Chair

• N. Keita Christophe, McGill University

Discussant

• Linda Juang, University of Potsdam

Individual Presentations

• “But, like, they don’t believe me”: External Messages and the Racial Identities of Multiracial Children - Presenting Author: Courtney Meiling Jones, Northwestern University; Non-Presenting Author: Leoandra Onnie Rogers, Northwestern University; Non-Presenting Author: Jason Schwartz, Northwestern University; Non-Presenting Author: Elisa Rapadas, Northwestern University

• A Qualitative Examination of Familial Racial-ethnic Socialization Experiences among Diverse Multiracial Youth - Presenting Author: Annabelle Atkin, Purdue University, West Lafayette

• Examining Multiracial Pride, Identity-based Challenges, and Discrimination: An Exploratory Investigation among Biracial Emerging Adults - Presenting Author: N. Keita Christophe, McGill University; Non-Presenting Author: Annabelle Atkin, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Non-Presenting Author: Gabriela Livas Stein, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Non-Presenting Author: Michele Chan, University of North Carolina at Greensboro