In Pursuit of Belonging: Acculturation, Perceived Discrimination, and Ethnic-Racial Identity among Latino Youths
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A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Adrienne Juliet Michele Baldwin-White1, Elizabeth Kiehne1, Adriana Umaña-Taylor1
1and are doctoral students, School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix. is professor, T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Phoenix. is director, Center for International Translational Intervention Research, Arizona State University, Phoenix. Address correspondence to Adrienne Juliet Michele Baldwin-White, School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004; e-mail: Adrienne.Baldwin@asu.edu. This research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), award P20 MD002316 (F. Marsiglia, P.I.). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIMHD or NIH.
Abstract:
Guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems framework and informed by the rejection-identification model, this study examined the relationship between acculturation, discrimination, and ethnic-racial identity (ERI) searching and affirmation among a sample of Latino youths (N = 830; mean age = 12.2 years). Results revealed that higher levels of acculturation were associated with lower levels of searching and affirmation. Furthermore, higher perceived discrimination was associated with higher affirmation, but unrelated to searching. Finally, perceived discrimination significantly attenuated the negative associations between acculturation and adolescents' ERI searching and affirmation. The article concludes with a discussion of practice implications.
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