Author : Lauren Kimberlee Berger
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781369796100
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (961 download)
Book Synopsis Unpacking the Relationship Between Ethnic Identity and Adjustment Among Biracials by : Lauren Kimberlee Berger
Download or read book Unpacking the Relationship Between Ethnic Identity and Adjustment Among Biracials written by Lauren Kimberlee Berger and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Understanding the biracial experience has become increasingly important as the biracial population in the United States has grown substantially in recent years. One integral aspect of the biracial experience is how the biracial individual conceptualizes his or her ethnic identity, and its relationship to adjustment and mental health outcomes. Research suggests that biracials may have poorer mental health than monoracials, and a recent meta-analysis (Shih & Sanchez, 2005) cites a lack of research testing potential mediators of the link between the identity of biracials and their adjustment. Moreover, not all studies have found a link between the identity of biracials and adjustment. The goal in this study was to reconcile these mixed findings by including a number of social psychological variables that might clarify under what conditions the ethnic identity of biracials is related to adjustment, and why it is related. The research in clinical and social psychology on self-discrepancy theory (SDT) suggests that identity discrepancies, when comparing the current self to the self that one wants to be or the self that others think one should be, might explain the relationship between the ethnic identity of biracials and various indices of adjustment, and that individual differences in integrative tendencies and the salience of one’s ethnic identity might moderate this effect. These mediators and moderators were tested in the current study. Using a sample of 105 Asians, 92 Whites, and 94 Asian/White biracials, this study examined the effect of identity discrepancies on four different aspects of adjustment: depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and functioning. The integration of multiple ethnic identities, a dialectical self-view, and the salience of one’s ethnic identity were tested as potential moderators of the discrepancy-adjustment effect. Analyses indicated that Asians and Asian/White biracials did not differ on adjustment outcomes, but both groups were more depressed and had lower self-esteem than Whites. Asian/White biracials had more identity discrepancies than Asians and Whites. In mediational analyses, Asian/White biracials experienced more Actual-Ought identity discrepancies (comparing the current self to the self that others think one should be) than Whites, which appeared to lead to higher levels of depression and lower self-esteem. Identity discrepancies did not mediate differences in adjustment between monoracial Asians and Whites. Identity integration, dialectical self-view, and ethnic identity salience did not moderate the effect of identity discrepancies on adjustment among the Asian/White biracials. The implications of these results are discussed.