Ethnic-racial Identity Research Articles

Early adolescents' ethnic-racial identity in relation to longitudinal growth in perspective taking.

Adolescents experience significant growth in social cognition, including perspective taking and identity formation. Due to the salience of race and ethnicity in the United States, adolescents' ethnic-racial identity (ERI) may have important implications for their sociocognitive development. The present study tested the association between ERI in early adolescence and subsequent longitudinal growth in perspective taking. Participants included 560 adolescents assessed annually over 4 years, beginning in sixth and seventh grade. Adolescents were from a small, rural community in the southeast United States and were from diverse ethnic-racial backgrounds (primarily Latine, Black/African American, and multiracial). Using linear growth curve modeling, we examined whether initial ERI predicted intercepts and slopes of longitudinal growth in perspective taking across adolescence. Results showed that the development of perspective taking differed based on initial ERI. Perspective taking increased significantly for youth with low and average levels of ERI but remained high and stable for youth at high levels of ERI. This study offers important evidence that Latine, Black, and multiracial youth who explore and find more clarity in their sense of ERI earlier in adolescence also show higher initial levels of perspective taking, which remains high across adolescence. Over time, most youth grow in perspective taking and eventually reach similar levels, but youth high in ERI reach these higher levels earlier than their peers, who had less sense of clarity about their ERI early in adolescence. This is one of the first known studies to directly test the association between ERI and perspective taking, utilizing a diverse, longitudinal sample of adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Early adolescents' ethnic-racial discrimination and pubertal development: Parents' ethnic-racial identities promote adolescents' resilience.

Ethnically and racially underrepresented adolescents are experiencing pubertal development earlier in life than prior cohorts and their White American peers. This early onset of puberty is partly attributable to ethnic-racial discrimination. To contribute to adolescents' resilience and posttraumatic growth in the face of ethnic-racial discrimination, parents' ethnic-racial identities may spill over into their parenting beliefs and practices. Parents who have a sense of belonging with and commitment to their ethnic-racial identities may be aware of discrimination and actively and consistently engage in practices that build supportive home environments to support their children's development in the context of ethnic-racial discrimination. To assess whether parents' ethnic-racial identity commitment predicted adolescents' resilience against ethnic-racial discrimination, we used multiple waves of survey data from adolescent siblings and their parents participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (N-adolescents = 1,651; N-families = 805; 35% Black, 37% Latinx, 3% Asian, 25% other ethnically and racially underrepresented youth; 49% boys, 50% girls, 1% gender nonconforming youth; Mage = 11.49, SD = 0.51). Results indicated that adolescents who experienced more frequent ethnic-racial discrimination than their siblings showed more advanced pubertal development. Parental ethnic-racial identity commitment reduced the relation between discrimination and pubertal development within a family. Results suggest that ethnic-racial identity commitment in parents can protect children when they experience ethnic-racial discrimination. Building on extant propositions related to resilience (Infurna & Luthar, 2018), the present study amplifies the depiction of resilience, yields recommendations for analysis of future research, and provides implications regarding the role of ethnicity-race in familial practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal Associations Between Friendship Ethnic/Racial Composition and Ethnic/Racial Identity: The Role of School Ethnic/Racial Diversity.

Schools and friendships represent important but distinct contexts for adolescent identity development. However, research has yet to explore the long-term interplay between these factors on ethnic/racial identity (ERI). This study included a sample of 640 adolescents from 9 public high schools in a diverse United States metropolis (Mage = 14.50, SD = 0.67; 44% Asian, 20% Black, 36% Latinx; female = 68%, male = 32%, non-binary = 0%). Latent growth curve modeling was conducted to investigate longitudinal associations in friendship ethnic/racial composition and ERI exploration. From the 9th-11th grades, same-race friends and ERI exploration increased linearly whereas friendship ethnic/racial diversity decreased linearly. Adolescents attending more ethnically/racially diverse schools maintained more ethnically/racially diverse friends over time but did not differ in changes in ERI exploration compared to adolescents in less diverse schools. There was no association between the rates at which adolescents' friendship ethnic/racial composition and ERI changed over time. More ethnically/racially diverse friends in the 9th-grade predicted faster increases in subsequent ERI exploration. The findings highlight important differences in the roles of friendship and school contexts on ERI, suggesting that friendship ethnic/racial diversity, but not school ethnic/racial diversity, facilitated ERI exploration over time. School ethnic/racial diversity did facilitate a slower decline in friendship ethnic/racial diversity, emphasizing the importance of school integration.

Cultural Reflections in Virtual Reality: The Effects of User Ethnicity in Avatar Matching Experiences on Sense of Embodiment.

Matching avatar characteristics to a user can impact sense of embodiment (SoE) in YR. However, few studies have examined how participant demographics may interact with these matching effects. We recruited a diverse and racially balanced sample of 78 participants to investigate the differences among participant groups when embodying both demographically matched and unmatched avatars. We found that participant ethnicity emerged as a significant factor, with Asian and Black participants reporting lower total SoE compared to Hispanic participants. Furthermore, we found that user ethnicity significantly influences ownership (a subscale of SoE), with Asian and Black participants exhibiting stronger effects of matched avatar ethnicity compared to White participants. Additionally, Hispanic participants showed no significant differences, suggesting complex dynamics in ethnic-racial identity. Our results also reveal significant main effects of matched avatar ethnicity and gender on SoE, indicating the importance of considering these factors in VR experiences. These findings contribute valuable insights into understanding the complex dynamics shaping VR experiences across different demographic groups.

Increasing Diversity in Neuroimaging Research: Participant-Driven Recommendations from a Qualitative Study of an Under-represented Sample

Enhancing the generalizability of neuroimaging studies requires actively engaging participants from under-represented communities. This paper leverages qualitative data to outline participant-driven recommendations for incorporating under-represented populations in neuroimaging protocols. Thirty-one participants, who had participated in neuroimaging research or could be eligible for one as part of an ongoing longitudinal study, engaged in semi-structured one-on-one interviews (84% under-represented ethnic-racial identities and low-income backgrounds). Through thematic analysis, we identified nine relevant research practices from participants' reports, highlighting aspects of their experience that they appreciated and suggestions for improvement: (1) forming a diverse research team comprising members with whom participants can interact as equals; (2) increasing accessibility to research by providing transportation and flexible scheduling; (3) providing family-oriented spaces; (4) enriching the campus visits to include optional on-campus activities to connect with the University; (5) developing safe strategies to accommodate participants with tattoos during the MRI; (6) incorporating engaging and interactive tasks during neuroimaging sessions; (7) providing small gifts, such as a picture of one’s brain, in addition to financial compensation; (8) sharing research findings with the research participants; and (9) fostering long-term bidirectional relationships. The findings may be used to develop best practices for enhancing participant diversity in future neuroimaging studies.

Exposure to diverse ethnic-racial media: Black, Latinx, and White Parents’ attitudes toward media-based ethnic-racial socialization

ABSTRACT An exploratory study surveyed 367 US Black, Latinx, and White parents of children (ages 4–7) and tested theoretical propositions of social identity gratifications theory and multicultural theory to determine the influence of ethnic-racial identity on media selection of ethnic-racial diverse content. The findings partially support both SIG and multicultural theory. Approximately two-thirds of the participants recalled watching a diverse ethnic or racial portrayal in the media with their child. Results indicated that Black and Latinx parents reported stronger ethnic-racial identity relative to White parents. Ethnic-racial identity predicted attitudes but not beliefs toward diverse ethnic and race portrayals; ethnic-racial identity, attitudes, and beliefs predicted media endorsement of such portrayals to their children. Implications for future research on media based ethnic-racial socialization practices are discussed.

Ethnic-racial discrimination and socialization: Short-term longitudinal effects on Black and Latinx young adults' ethnic-racial identity.

Short-term longitudinal data were used to examine how racial discrimination, cultural socialization (CS), and preparation for bias (PB) related to Black and Latinx young adults' public and private regard. Black (n = 90) and Latinx (n = 54) young adults (Mage = 20 years) were assessed at two time points, 6 weeks apart. Racial discrimination predicted lower levels of public regard 6 week later; whereas PB predicted greater levels of private regard. CS moderated the relations between racial discrimination and private regard suggesting that at low levels of CS, discrimination related to lower private regard 6 weeks later. Findings demonstrate the short-term effects of racial discrimination and suggest that ethnic-racial socialization is a salient cultural resource for young adults.

The Moderating Role of Discrimination in the Association between Same-Race/Ethnicity Friends and Negative Ethnic-Racial Identity Affect over Time

The current study assessed the moderating role of perceived discrimination on the association between same-race/ethnicity friends and negative ethnic-racial identity (ERI) affect among Asian, Black, and Latinx students of color over time. Diverse college students ages 18-25 (73.7% female) provided self-reports of same-race/ethnicity friends, racial discrimination, and negative ERI affect at the beginning of a semester (T1) and end of a semester 4 months later (T2). Results indicated that T1 discrimination was a significant moderator of the relations between T1 same-race/ethnicity friends and T2 negative ERI affect (controlling for T1 negative ERI affect). Specifically, having same-race/ethnicity friends predicted an decrease in negative ERI affect over time, but only when discrimination was low. When discrimination was high, the relation between same-ethnicity friends and negative ERI affect was not significant over time. In other words, discrimination acted as a disrupter of same-race/ethnicity friends being associated with a reduction in negative ERI affect over time.

Ethnic-racial identity latent profiles protect against racial discrimination in Black American adults.

This study examined how ethnic-racial identity (ERI) profiles moderate the relationship between racial discrimination and mental health among Black American adults. Black American adults (n = 247) recruited from a community-based sample completed self-report measures of ERI, racial discrimination, depression, psychological distress, and emotional well-being. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four distinct ERI profiles, corresponding to the ERI status theorized in prior research-Diffusion, Moratorium, and Achievement-and a fourth profile, which corresponded to an ERI status for High Achievement. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that greater racial discrimination was significantly related to worse mental health for all outcomes and that having an ERI profile of High Achievement was significantly associated with lower depression. Moderation analysis indicated that the ERI profile for Achievement protected against depression and psychological distress in the context of high racial discrimination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Patterns of ethnic-racial identity and critical consciousness and associations with science, technology, engineering, and math engagement and perceived barriers: A latent class analysis of youth of color.

Despite the well-documented scholarship highlighting ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and critical consciousness (CC) as promotive of positive academic outcomes, little research has explored what role these cultural assets may play in shaping science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) engagement and perceptions of barriers to STEM for youth of color. This work explored relations between racially minoritized youths' patterns of ERI and CC in association with STEM engagement and perceptions of STEM career and educational barriers. Latent class analysis and analysis of variance were used with a predominately Black and Latinx sample (N = 265, Mage = 15.83, SD = 1.35; 49% female). Four classes emerged. Members of the naïve affirmed advocates class had significantly higher STEM engagement than the disillusioned class. Youth in the affirmed and critical class reported the highest perceptions of STEM-related career barriers, followed by the affirmed advocates class. Findings highlight the critical link between ERI and CC as promotive factors for academic engagement for racially minoritized youth in STEM and promote awareness of STEM-related barriers that may be useful to prepare and navigate future STEM challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Perception Matters: The Influence of School Ethnic Racial Context on Ethnic Racial Identity Development for Black Adolescents.

In the current study, latent growth curve modeling is used to explore growth in ethnic-racial identity (ERI) commitment from 9th to 12th grade as a function of two aspects of the school ethnic-racial environment-perceived representation among peers and perceived discrimination from peers. The participants included 237 students that self-identified as African American (Mage = 14.7; 50% female). The results showed that perceiving more Black peers at school buffered the negative impact of racial discrimination from peers on ERI commitment. Further, the positive impact of perceived representation remained significant even after controlling for other markers of school ethnic-racial context including objective representation and school ethnic-racial diversity. The findings have implications for the environmental factors that support ERI development as well as how we study and conceptualize the influence of the school ethnic-racial environment.

Nadie Me Ve Como Latinx

Abstract Studies on how observers’ perceptions affect youth Ethnic-Racial Identity (ERI) formation focus on adolescents, and typically fail to consider non-English language use as a salient ERI marker. The current research examines two novel dimensions by examining employing Spanish-language mixed methods to study Midwestern heritage Spanish-speaking Latinx children, ages 7–13. Study outcomes correlate skin tone to ERI such that children identified by observers as ‘phenotypically’ Latinx reported higher levels of ethnic exploration compared to peers identified as ‘phenotypically’ non-Latinx. Children’s phenotypic self-identification and ERI exploration correlated highly with level of understanding of their ethnic group, and in turn with reported higher linguistic discrimination. Qualitative results further highlight that “white-presenting” Latinx children more strongly affirm their Latinx identity through high Spanish language competence. Findings suggest that healthy ERI development in Latinx children may be uniquely aided by bilingualism and biliteracy.

Is the Identity Project College-Ready? A Feasibility Pilot Study of an Ethnic-Racial Identity Development Intervention with U.S. College Students

ABSTRACT Ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development promotes psychosocial and academic adjustment during adolescence and early adulthood. However, preventive intervention research into ERI promotion among young adults is limited. The current feasibility pilot study analyzed qualitative data (i.e. interviews, surveys, field notes) to explore the supports and impediments to implementing the Identity Project (IP), an ERI promotive curriculum developed for high-school aged adolescents, with college-going young adults at one U.S. university. Participants (N = 48; M age = 19.52, SD = 1.56; 86.36% female or non-binary) were randomly assigned to participate in the IP curriculum or to only complete surveys; all participants were invited to participate in interviews. Axial coding and thematic analysis revealed that: (a) young adult developmental needs and the ubiquitous salience of ERI in college promoted demand for structured interventions like the IP; (b) college cultural norms and values (e.g., emphasis on instrumental educational aims and ERI not being universal) limited access to the resources necessary for the IP intervention to be practical in college; and (c) implementing the IP as an extracurricular activity is not feasible and should instead be done as a campus requirement. Implications for future IP studies and college-based ERI interventions are discussed.

Sociocultural influences on body image concerns in men of color – a structural equation modeling study

ABSTRACT Objective There is a noticeable underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) men in the existing empirical literature examining the sociocultural influences on body image concerns. To fill the gap, this study aimed to gain a better understanding of how sociocultural factors correlated with body dissatisfaction among BIPOC men living within the U.S. Design Structural equation modeling was used to address this gap by examining how multiple sociocultural factors – interpersonal appearance pressure, media appearance pressure, ethnic-racial identity attitudes (including ethnic-racial salience, stereotype endorsement, and nationalistic assimilation) and ethnic self-hatred towards one’s ethnic group – were linked to dissatisfaction with muscularity, body fat and height in a sample of 181 BIPOC men participants. Results The proposed cross-sectional path model achieved satisfactory model fit and explained 31.9% in muscularity dissatisfaction, 36.2% in body fat dissatisfaction, and 26.4% in height dissatisfaction. Among direct relationships, interpersonal appearance pressure emerged most prominently associated with height dissatisfaction, whereas media appearance pressure and ethnic self-hatred were more related to muscularity and body fat dissatisfaction. Regarding the mediation effects, media appearance pressure was found to partially mediate the relationship between interpersonal appearance pressure and body dissatisfaction, as well as the relationship between ethnic self-hatred and body dissatisfaction. Furthermore, ethnic self-hatred was found to be predicted by ethnic-racial identity attitudes. Conclusion This research profoundly expands our understanding of the ethnic and racial complexities surrounding body dissatisfaction among BIPOC men and encourages health practitioners to acknowledge the unique sociocultural and systemic dynamics (ethnic-racial identities and associated stressors) when working with BIPOC men who present with body image concerns.

Coping with ethnic-racial discrimination: Protective-reactive effects of shift-and-persist coping on internalizing symptoms among Black American adolescents.

Ethnic-racial discrimination has pervasive negative effects on Black youth's mental health; therefore, it is crucial to identify factors that provide resilience against discrimination. Two promising factors to help youth cope are ethnic-racial identity (how one feels about their ethnicity/race) and shift-and-persist coping (reappraising and accepting an uncontrollable stressor while remaining optimistic about the future). While there is existing scholarship on ethnic-racial identity among Black youth, this work has not yet assessed the impacts of shift-and-persist in this population. Using a sample of 155 Black youth (ages 13-17), the current study examined the interplay between discrimination, ethnic-racial identity, shift-and-persist coping, and internalizing symptoms. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were positively associated with discrimination and negatively associated with shift-and-persist. Significant interactions between discrimination and shift-and-persist predicting both depressive and anxiety symptoms revealed significant negative associations between shift-and-persist and internalizing symptoms at low and average, but not high discrimination levels. Effects are, thus, protective-reactive; the protective effects of shift-and-persist are not significant for youth facing high levels of discrimination. Ethnic-racial identity, surprisingly, was not significantly associated with either depressive or anxiety symptoms, nor did it interact with shift-and-persist as it has in studies of Latinx youth. By understanding the protective benefits of shift-and-persist and ethnic-racial identity in Black youth, during a pivotal period for mental health, we can provide this growing population with tools to lessen the maladaptive outcomes associated with discrimination.

Differences in Acute Postoperative Opioid Use by English Proficiency, Race, and Ethnicity After Total Knee and Hip Arthroplasty.

There is increasing interest in documenting disparities in pain management for racial and ethnic minorities and patients with language barriers. Previous studies have found differential prescription patterns of opioids for racial and ethnic minority group and patients having limited English proficiency (LEP) after arthroplasty. However, there is a knowledge gap regarding how the intersection of these sociodemographic factors is associated with immediate postoperative pain management. This study aimed to explore language and racial-ethnic disparities in short-term opioid utilization after total hip and knee arthroplasty. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients who underwent total hip and knee arthroplasty from 2015 to 2019 at an urban medical center. The primary predictor variables included LEP status and racial-ethnic category, and the primary outcome variables were oral morphine equivalents (OMEs) during 2 distinct postoperative periods: the first 12 hours after surgery and from the end of surgery to the end of postoperative day (POD) 1. Patient characteristics and perioperative metrics were described by language status, race, and ethnicity using nonparametric tests, as appropriate. We performed an adjusted generalized estimating equation to assess the total effect of the intersection of LEP and racial-ethnic categories on short-term postoperative opioid use in mean ratios (MRs). This study included a total of 4090 observations, in which 7.9% (323) patients had LEP. Patients reported various racial-ethnic categories, with 72.7% (2975) non-Hispanic White, and minority groups including non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI), Hispanic/Latinx, non-Hispanic Black/African American, and Others. Patients self-identifying as non-Hispanic AAPI received fewer OME regardless of LEP status during the first 12 hours postoperatively (MR for English proficient [EP], 0.12 [95% confidence interval, CI, 0.08-0.18]; MR for LEP, 0.22 [95% CI, 0.13-0.37]) and from end of surgery to the end of POD 1 (MR for EP, 0.24 [95% CI, 0.16-0.37]; MR for LEP, 0.42, [95% CI, 0.24-0.73]) than EP non-Hispanic White. Hispanic/Latinx patients with LEP received lower amounts of OME during the first postoperative 12 hours (MR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.17-0.53) and from end of surgery to the end of POD 1 (MR, 0.42; 95% CI 0.23-0.79) than EP non-Hispanic White. Furthermore, within the non-Hispanic White group, those with LEP received fewer OME within the first 12 hours (MR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.13-0.83). We identified an association between LEP, racial-ethnic identity, and short-term postoperative OME utilization after total knee and hip arthroplasty. The observed differences in opioid utilization imply there may be language and racial-ethnic disparities in acute pain management and perioperative care.

Juggling Racial Ethnic Identities: How Entrepreneurs Handle Discrimination in Changing Environments

Juggling Racial Ethnic Identities: How Entrepreneurs Handle Discrimination in Changing Environments

Sticks and Stones May Break Bones, But Racism Breaks Spirits: Discrimination and BIPOC Adolescent Mental Health

BIPOC adolescent mental health is essential to a healthy, equitable society. Negative associations between discrimination and mental health may be ameliorated by affirmed ethnic-racial identity (ERI). We examined relations between racial discrimination and depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, chronic pain and subjective happiness moderated by ERI affirmation (353 U.S. BIPOC youth, Mage = 15.28, 48% female). Racial discrimination negatively, and ERI affirmation positively, related to mental health. Interactions were not significant. Exploratory follow-up analyses showed for BIPOC adolescents with moderate to highly affirmed ERI, racial discrimination related to increases in chronic pain and decreases in subjective happiness. Although affirmed ERI is positive for mental health, anti-racist involvement at community/structural levels are necessary to reduce discrimination’s consequences on BIPOC mental health.

Ethnic-Racial Identity, Racial Discrimination and Support for Black Lives Matter among Black American Youth

Ethnic-Racial Identity, Racial Discrimination and Support for Black Lives Matter among Black American Youth

Racial stereotype and Black adolescents' math achievement: Unpacking the socio-cognitive mechanisms

Racial stereotypes are salient to Black adolescents and to the academic domain of mathematics; however, few studies have examined the socio-cognitive mechanisms through which racial stereotypes impact math achievement. This 2-year longitudinal study (N = 790 Grade 6, 8, and 10 students during Year 1; 50.7% girls and 49.3% boys) investigated (a) the extent to which the endorsement of positively and negatively biased racial stereotypes predicted Black adolescents' math performance through their cognitive engagement and ability mindset and (b) whether gender and ethnic-racial identity moderated these links. Results suggested that endorsement of negatively biased stereotypes was associated with diminished cognitive engagement and lower math scores across 2 years (p < .05). Additionally, adolescents' ethnic-racial identity commitment moderated the negative links between stereotype endorsement and math cognitive engagement in Year 2 (p < .05). When considering the mediating role of math ability mindsets, the endorsement of both positively and negatively biased racial stereotypes operated on math performance via its links to stronger fixed ability mindset beliefs in both years (p < .05). Gender also moderated the effects of racial stereotype endorsement on math mindset beliefs in Year 1 (p < .01). This study's findings advance the field's understanding of the psychosocial mechanisms through which racial stereotypes operate, thus enabling educators to develop tailored practices that facilitate equitable access to math learning opportunities.