Mexican Origin Youths’ Trajectories of Perceived Peer Discrimination from Middle Childhood to Adolescence: Variation by Neighborhood Ethnic Concentration

Abstract

Developmentally salient research on perceived peer discrimination among minority youths is limited. Little is known about trajectories of perceived peer discrimination across the developmental period ranging from middle childhood to adolescence. Ethically concentrated neighborhoods are hypothesized to protect minority youths from discrimination, but strong empirical tests are lacking. The first aim of the current study was to estimate trajectories of perceived peer discrimination from middle childhood to adolescence, as youths transitioned from elementary to middle and to high school. The second aim was to examine the relationship between neighborhood ethnic concentration and perceived peer discrimination over time. Using a diverse sample of 749 Mexican origin youths (48.9% female), a series of growth models revealed that youths born in Mexico, relative to those born in the U.S., perceived higher discrimination in the 5th grade and decreases across time. Youths who had higher averages on neighborhood ethnic concentration (across the developmental period) experienced decreases in perceived peer discrimination over time; those that had lower average neighborhood ethnic concentration levels showed evidence of increasing trajectories. Further, when individuals experienced increases in their own neighborhood ethnic concentration levels (relative to their own cross-time averages), they reported lower levels of perceived peer discrimination. Neighborhood ethnic concentration findings were not explained by the concurrent changes youths were experiencing in school ethnic concentrations. The results support a culturally-informed developmental view of perceived peer discrimination that recognizes variability in co-ethnic neighborhood contexts. The results advance a view of ethnic enclaves as protective from mainstream threats.

Neighborhood and school ethnic structuring and cultural adaptations among Mexican-origin adolescents.

“…Those who did not participate: could not be located, had moved to Mexico, could not presently participate or were difficult to contact, or refused. Across the study period 54.6% of adolescents moved out of their P1 neighborhoods, a rate comparable to prior work (White et al, 2014). …”

“…We hypothesized that high Latino ethnic concentration would be associated with: (a) higher initial levels and stability or increases over time in Mexican orientations and (b) lower initial levels and slower growth or declines in Anglo orientations. Because parents' cultural orientations and family socioeconomic circumstances help to explain how and why Latino families select into neighborhoods that vary on Latino concentration (White, Zeiders, Knight, Roosa, & Tein, 2014), and because these variables can also influence cultural adaptations (Knight et al, 2014; Matsunaga et al, 2010; Umaña-Taylor et al, 2014), we included mothers' and fathers' cultural orientations and family socioeconomic circumstances as covariates to reduce neighborhood selection confounds.…”

Longitudinal Reciprocal Relationships Between Discrimination and Ethnic Affect or Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese American Adolescents

“…Fifth, our participants were from an area with a high percentage of Chinese Americans. As community characteristics such as ethnic concentration may influence the effects of discrimination (White, Zeiders, Knight, Roosa, & Tein, 2014), future studies should test whether our results can be replicated in other Chinese American samples. Finally, Asian Americans are a diverse group (Xia et al, 2013); whether the relationships found in our study of Chinese Americans can be replicated in other Asian American samples remains to be seen.…”

Intergenerational Transmission of Tridimensional Cultural Orientations in Chinese American Families: The Role of Bicultural Socialization

“…Finally, our participants were from an area with a high percentage of Chinese Americans and a long history of Chinese immigration. As community characteristics – such as migration history, ethnic concentration, and neighborhood disadvantages – may influence the acculturation process (Kiang, Perreira, & Fuligni, 2011; Liu, Lau, Chen, Dinh, & Kim, 2009; White, Zeiders, Knight, Roosa, & Tein, 2014), future studies should test whether our results can be replicated in other Chinese American samples.…”