Longitudinal Trajectories of Ethnic Identity Among Urban Black and Latino Adolescents

Abstract

The current study modeled developmental trajectories of ethnic identity exploration and affirmation and belonging from middle to late adolescence (ages 15-18) and examined how these trajectories varied according to ethnicity, gender, immigrant status, and perceived level of discrimination. The sample consisted of 135 urban low-income Black and Latino adolescents (42% male, 34% Black, 66% Latino). Consistent with developmental theory, individual growth modeling identified an average quadratic trajectory of ethnic identity exploration characterized by decelerating levels of exploration after 10th grade. However, ethnicity and perceived discrimination by peers moderated this pattern. No uniform growth pattern in affirmation was found and Black and Latino adolescents displayed equally high levels of affirmation over time.

A longitudinal examination of parenting behaviors and perceived discrimination predicting Latino adolescents' ethnic identity.

“…Because recent work shows that Latino male adolescents, compared to female adolescents, are given more freedom to explore the world outside of the family context (Raffaelli & Ontai, 2004), it is possible that male adolescents have more experiences with discrimination and, as a result, are more cognizant of the effects of discrimination on their lives. In work with Black adolescents, Pahl and Way (2006) suggested that Black adolescents' continuous exposure to racism may lead to continuous exploration of ethnicity; it is possible that the same reasoning can be applied to the gender difference found in the current study. Because, compared to female adolescents, Latino adolescent male adolescents are more likely to experience discrimination and experience higher levels of discrimination (Lopez, 1995), these elevated rates of discrimination may prompt ethnic identity formation processes more strongly for male adolescents than for female adolescents.…”

“…Because existing empirical work with Latino youth (i.e., Puerto Rican, Dominican, Caribbean, Central American, and South American) has established that discrimination is a significant reality for Latino youth (Fisher, Wallace, & Fenton, 2000;Martinez, DeGarmo, & Eddy, 2004;Rosenbloom & Way, 2004), examining its potential influence on ethnic identity formation is critical. To our knowledge, one study that included a subsample of predominately Puerto Rican and Dominican Latino adolescents (i.e., Pahl & Way, 2006) has examined the longitudinal association between perceived discrimination and ethnic identity. Pahl and Way (2006) found that growth in perceived discrimination predicted growth in exploration but not affirmation.…”

“…To our knowledge, one study that included a subsample of predominately Puerto Rican and Dominican Latino adolescents (i.e., Pahl & Way, 2006) has examined the longitudinal association between perceived discrimination and ethnic identity. Pahl and Way (2006) found that growth in perceived discrimination predicted growth in exploration but not affirmation. The questions tested in the current study, however, differ slightly in that the current study focuses on whether initial levels of discrimination predict the rate of growth in three ethnic identity components over time.…”

“…Recent work focused exclusively on Latinos (i.e., Umaña-Taylor, Gonzales-Backen, & Guimond, 2009) or that included a Latino subsample (i.e., French, Seidman, Allen, & Aber, 2006;Pahl & Way, 2006) indicates that the three ethnic identity components show different growth patterns. In addition, studies of Latinos have found the ethnic identity components to be differentially associated with predictors (Supple, Ghazarian, Frabutt, Plunkett, & Sands, 2006) and outcomes (Umaña-Taylor, GonzalesBacken, & Guimond, 2009; Umañ a-Taylor, Vargas-Chanes, Garcia, & Gonzales-Backen, 2008).…”

Duration of U.S. stay and body mass index among Latino and Asian immigrants: A test of theoretical pathways

“…It can encompass both sense of identity and social relations and is often measured as how close one feels to, and how much time they prefer to spend with, co-ethnics (Phinney & Ong, 2007). Empirical evidence for the relationship between ethnic identity and U.S. length of stay is scant, but longitudinal studies find that ethnic identity decreases over time for Latinos adolescents (Pahl & Way, 2006). Other work on Mexican families suggests that ethnic identity diminishes across generations (Jiménez & Fitzgerald, 2007).…”