Perceived Discrimination at School and Developmental Outcomes among Bai Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Self-Esteem and Ethnic Identity

Abstract

Although discrimination is widely acknowledged to impair developmental outcomes among ethnic minority adolescents, literature differentiating discrimination based on personal characteristics and group membership is lacking, especially in Chinese contexts, and the mechanisms of those relationships remain unclear. In response, the study presented here examined whether self-esteem mediates the relationship between perceived academic discrimination and developmental outcomes among such ethnic minority adolescents, and whether ethnic identity mediates the relationship between perceived ethnic discrimination and developmental outcomes. Multistage cluster random sampling performed in Dali and Kunming, China, yielded a sample of 813 Bai adolescents whose data was analysed in structural equation modelling. The results indicate that perceived academic discrimination had a direct negative effect on adolescents’ mental health, while perceived ethnic discrimination had direct negative effects on their behavioural adjustment and social competence. Perceived academic discrimination also indirectly affected adolescents’ behavioural adjustment, mental health, and social competence via self-esteem, whereas perceived ethnic discrimination indirectly affected their behavioural adjustment and social competence via ethnic identity. These findings deepen current understandings of how perceived discrimination, self-esteem, and ethnic identity affect the developmental outcomes of ethnic minority adolescents and provide practical recommendations for policymakers and social workers to promote those outcomes in China.

Perceived Discrimination as a Critical Factor Affecting Self-Esteem, Satisfaction with Physical Appearance and Depression of Racial/Ethnic Minority Adolescents in Korea

“…The results also suggest that self-esteem and adolescents’ satisfaction with their physical appearance both play critical roles in mediating the effect of perceived discrimination on depression. The finding that perceived discrimination indeed hurts adolescents’ self-esteem, is in line with that of previous studies [ 3 , 14 , 20 , 21 , 23 ]. The finding also supports what we know about the relationship between self-esteem and depression [ 3 , 9 , 14 , 19 , 23 ].…”

“…The finding also supports what we know about the relationship between self-esteem and depression [ 3 , 9 , 14 , 19 , 23 ]. The significant association among the variables is alarming given that self-esteem is an important self-construct which can also function as a buffer for stressors [ 19 , 20 ], and lower self-esteem is also linked to negative outcomes such as poor academic performance, social relationships, and lower life satisfaction [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. This finding suggests that scholars and practitioners who work with minority adolescents address their self-esteem in relation to their discrimination experiences in-depth.…”

“…Having a healthy regard for oneself is important for adolescents’ growth and is often identified as a strong predictor of adolescents’ depression [ 3 , 14 , 19 , 20 ]. However, self-esteem can be volatile and can be significantly affected by events, stressors, and/or circumstances [ 21 , 22 ]. For ethnic minority adolescents, one of the major risk factors in developing a healthy self-concept is their perceived discrimination [ 3 , 20 , 23 ].…”

How do the identities of ethnic and left-behind children influence their depression? Evidence from ethnic minority areas of Sichuan Province, China

“…Many ethnic minorities are found in western China, especially in Sichuan Province which has all 56 ethnic groups [ 31 ], with those of Yi, Tibetan, and Qiang ethnicities comprising a large proportion of the population [ 10 ]. Most ethnic minority areas in Sichuan Province are located in mountainous areas with poor transportation and underdeveloped local economies.…”

Self-Esteem at University: Proposal of an Artificial Neural Network Based on Resilience, Stress, and Sociodemographic Variables

“…A person with high self-esteem is a person with better socioemotional and cognitive functioning ( Harun, 2017 ; Silverthorn et al, 2017 ; Kärchner et al, 2021 ). Low self-esteem seems to be related to academic problems and poor emotional adjustment in both the personal and social spheres; for this reason, it is necessary to measure it and take it into consideration ( Kärchner et al, 2021 ; Zhao and Ngai, 2022 ). Likewise, the interaction that is generated among the members of the educational community will also affect the levels of self-esteem ( Akin and Radford, 2018 ; Deveci and Wyatt, 2022 ).…”