Sources of Situational Variation in Ethnic Identity and Psychological Well-Being: A Palm Pilot Study of Chinese American Students

Abstract

Experience sampling reports collected randomly six times a day for 1 week examined the association between context, ethnic salience, psychological well-being, and stable ethnic centrality and ethnic private regard among Chinese American university students (N = 62). At the level of the situation, ethnic composition, family, and language were associated with higher ethnic salience. Stable ethnic centrality moderated the association between ethnic salience and family where higher centrality was related to stronger ethnic salience when students were with family. At the situation level, ethnic salience was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and increased positive mood. Stable ethnic private regard moderated this association where higher private regard was related to fewer depressive symptoms and higher levels of positive mood when ethnicity was salient.