Ethnic Identity and Self-Esteem as Mediators of the Effects of Cultural Involvement on the Wellbeing of Indigenous Andean People

Abstract

Evaluate the relationship between the cultural involvement and the different dimensions of the Lickan-Antay well-being, as well as the possible mediating effect of ethnic identity and the self-esteem in this relationship. An observational design was used. Three hundred ninety-five Lickan-Antay adult men and women residing in Lickan-Antay development areas and in two cities and northern Chile participated. The variables well-being, Lickan-Antay cultural involvement, self-esteem, and ethnic identity were measured with validated ad hoc scales and with good fit indicators. Cultural involvement has a positive direct effect on dimensions of Lickan-Antay well-being, and total and specific indirect effects on all dimensions of Lickan-Antay well-being, through self-esteem and ethnic identity. Self-esteem and ethnic identity explain an important part of the relationship between cultural involvement and the different dimensions of Lickan-Antay well-being. The results were discussed in the light of previous theories on cultural involvement, ethnic identity, and self-esteem and their relationship with well-being in indigenous communities, recognizing the particularities of these last ones in the Andean Latin American context.