Perceptions of parents’ ethnic identities and the personal ethnic-identity and racial attitudes of biracial adults.

Abstract

The present study examined the relationship of perceived parental closeness and parental ethnic identity on personal ethnic identity and colorblindness beliefs in 275 part-White biracial Americans (M age = 23.88). Respondents completed online measures of their personal ethnic identity (minority, White, and multiracial), perceived parental ethnic identity, parental closeness, and attitudes about the state of race relations and the need for social action in the United States. Using path modeling, results show that part-White biracial individuals perceive their ethnic identity to be strongly linked to their parental racial identities, especially when they had closer parental relationships. Moreover, stronger minority identity was linked to less colorblind attitudes, and greater White identity was linked to greater colorblind attitudes suggesting that patterns of identity may influence how biracial individuals view race-relations and the need for social action. Implications for biracial well-being and their understanding of prejudice and discrimination are discussed.

Multiracial Identity, Color‐Blind Racial Ideology, and Discrimination: Professional Counseling Implications

“…The fact that multiracial people in this sample lacked awareness around concepts specific to blatant racial issues and institutional discrimination when they identify as minority persons themselves is in marked contrast to previous studies that have shown that racial minority persons often report overall lower levels of CBRI compared with their White counterparts (Neville et al, 2000; Offerman et al, 2014; Stepney et al, 2015). This may indicate that people’s multiracial experience and conceptualization of the world are different than those of the monoracial minority population, despite the fact that both groups are categorized as racial minority persons.…”

“…Additionally, the demographic variable of gender was entered at Step 1 given the gender difference in scores on the CoBRAS. Consistent with the literature concerning minority participants and CBRI and given the relationship among the CoBRAS outcome factors of Institutional Discrimination and Blatant Racial Issues to MII, these were entered at Step 2 (Chao, 2012; Neville et al, 2000; Offermann et al, 2014; Stepney et al, 2015). Finally, consistent with the newly emerging literature on experiences of discrimination faced by multiracial individuals and given the relationships between the MII scale scores and the scores on the Brief PEDQ‐CV subscales of Exclusion/Rejection, Discrimination at Work/School, Stigmatization/Disvaluation, and Threat/Aggression, these were entered at Step 3 (Brondolo et al, 2011; Carter, 2007; Giamo et al, 2012; Jackson et al, 2012).…”

“…CBRI describes racial color‐blindness within two domains—color evasion and power evasion—and is used to understand the perpetuation of discrimination and inequality (Neville & Awad, 2014; Neville, Awad, Brooks, Flores, & Bluemel, 2013). Although the majority of CBRI research focuses on measuring color‐blind attitudes in White participants to compare to minority participants’ attitudes (e.g., Johnson & Williams, 2015; Neville, Poteat, Lewis, & Spanierman, 2014; Zou & Dickter, 2013), CBRI has been studied in a small subset of multiracial people (i.e., Chao, 2012; Offermann et al, 2014; Stepney et al, 2015).…”

“…The MII model aims to illustrate the racial identity negotiation that occurs in multiracial individuals by describing their perception of their racial identities as conflictual or agreeable to one another (Cheng & Lee, 2009;Lou & Lalonde, 2015). Researchers have investigated the way in which MII has predicted outcome variables, such as racial attitudes and beliefs, but very few studies have used MII as the outcome variable (Fisher, Reynolds, Hsu, Barnes, & Tyler, 2014;Gaither, 2015;Stepney, Sanchez, & Handy, 2015). Additionally, Jackson et al (2012) investigated the relationships among MII, perceived discrimination, and psychological adjustment and concluded that experiences of perceived racial discrimination are a risk factor for multiracial individuals and that having an integrated multiracial identity could serve as a protective factor for psychological adjustment.…”

Race‐Based Stress in White Adults: Exploring the Role of White Racial Identity Status Attitudes and Type of Racial Events

“…More specifically, least integrated or immature White racial identity status attitudes (i.e., contact, disintegration, and reintegration) have been associated with a low frequency of explicit racial socialization of children, decreased support for Black politicians, and increased fear when confronted with racial information. Conversely, more integrated or mature White racial identity attitudes have been associated with increased multicultural competence in clinicians, less colorblind racial attitudes (i.e., denial of influence of race on everyday life of self and others; Johnson & Jackson Williams, 2015; Stepney, Sanchez, & Handy, 2015). The scholarship focus on White racial identity suggests that variations in White racial identity status attitudes can impact Whites’ ability to appraise a situation as race‐based, along with their level of affectivity in the face of these events.…”