Abstract
Girls of Latino background report a high prevalence of depressive symptoms, and discrimination is a risk factor associated with how one feels (e.g., depressed) and identifies with one’s ethnic-racial group (e.g., feelings about being Latina). Given the salience of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) formation during adolescence, especially for girls, the potential role of ERI in the discrimination-depressive symptoms link was examined. Using data from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin adolescent girls (N = 338 at Time 1 [T1]), we examined whether three dimensions of ERI (i.e., exploration, resolution, and affirmation) mediated the longitudinal association between discrimination and depressive symptoms. We also explored potential differences by nativity status (U.S.-born vs. foreign-born). Results suggested that ERI affirmation may act as a potential indirect mechanism from T1 discrimination to T3 depressive symptoms. Specifically, higher levels of perceived discrimination at T1 contributed to lower levels of ERI affirmation at T2 (marginally significant), which, in turn, significantly predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms at T3. Results also suggested that this indirect mechanism may have been driven by U.S.-born girls. Namely, U.S.-born girls’ ERI may be more impacted by discrimination. Overall, findings point to a potential mediating longitudinal mechanism of ERI in the discrimination-depressive symptoms link and suggest that future research should consider potential differences by nativity. Implications are discussed with respect to ERI interventions and the sociopolitical climate that marginalizes Latino groups.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alegría, M., Canino, G., Shrout, P. E., Woo, M., Duan, N., Vila, D., Torres, M., Chen, C.-N., & Meng, X.-L. (2008). Prevalence of mental illness in immigrant and non-immigrant U.S. Latino groups. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(3), 359–369. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07040704
Anderson, E. R., & Mayes, L. C. (2010). Race/ethnicity and internalizing disorders in youth: A review. Clinical psychology review, 30(3), 338–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.12.008
Arora, P. G., & Wheeler, L. A. (2018). Depressive symptoms in Mexican-origin adolescents: Interrelations between school and family contexts. Contemporary School Psychology, 22(3), 266–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40688-017-0150-1
Ayón, C. (2018). “vivimos en jaula de oro”: The impact of state-level legislation on immigrant Latino families. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, 16(4), 351–371. https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2017.1306151
Bámaca-Colbert, M. Y., Greene, K. M., Killoren, S. E., & Noah, A. J. (2014). Contextual and developmental predictors of sexual initiation timing among Mexican-origin girls. Developmental Psychology, 50(10), 2353–2359. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037772
Benner, A. D., Wang, Y., Shen, Y., Boyle, A. E., Polk, R., & Cheng, Y. (2018). Racial/ethnic discrimination and well-being during adolescence: A meta-analytic review. The American Psychologist, 73(7), 855–883. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000204
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238–246. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.107.2.238
Branscombe, N. R., Schmitt, M. T., & Harvey, R. D. (1999). Perceiving pervasive discrimination among African Americans: Implications for group identification and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(1), 135–149. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.77.1.135
Brittian, A. S., Kim, S. Y., Armenta, B. E., Lee, R. M., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Schwartz, S. J., Villalta, I. K., Zamboanga, B. L., Weisskirch, R. S., Juang, L. P., Castillo, L. G., & Hudson, M. L. (2015). Do dimensions of ethnic identity mediate the association between perceived ethnic group discrimination and depressive symptoms? Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21(1), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037531
Brondolo, E., Gallo, L. C., & Myers, H. F. (2009). Race, racism and health: Disparities, mechanisms, and interventions. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9190-3
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1992). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing Structural Equation Models (pp. 136–162). Sage. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124192021002005
Causadias, J. M. (2013). A roadmap for the integration of culture into developmental psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 25(4 Pt 2), 1375–1398. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579413000679
Causadias, J. M., & Korous, K. M. (2019). Racial discrimination in the United States: A national health crisis that demands a national health solution. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(2), 147–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.11.001
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(8). https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2017/ss6708.pdf
Cheon, Y. M., & Yip, T. (2019). Longitudinal associations between ethnic/racial identity and discrimination among Asian and Latinx adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(9), 1736–1753. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01055-6
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, G. S., & Aiken, S. L. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Erlbaum.
Cross, F. L., Hoffman, A. J., Constante, K., & Rivas-Drake, D. (2018). Ethnic-racial identity content and the development of depressive symptoms among Latino adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 30(5), 1557–1569. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579418001086
Cross, W. E. and Cross, T. B. (2008). Theory, research, and models. In S. M. Quintana & C. McKown (Eds.), Handbook of race, racism, and the developing child (pp. 154–181). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118269930.ch8
Cross, W. E., & Cross, T. B. (2012). Theory, research, and models. In S. M. Quintana & C. McKown (Eds.), Handbook of race, racism, and the developing child (pp. 154–181). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118269930
Delgado, M. Y., Nair, R. L., Zeiders, K. H., & Jones, S. K. (2019). Latino adolescents’ experiences with ethnic discrimination: Moderating factors and mediating mechanisms. In H. E. Fitzgerald, D. J. Johnson, D. Baolian Qin, & F. A. Villarruel (Eds.), Handbook of children and prejudice (pp. 515–531). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12228-7
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and Crisis. Norton.
Gonzales-Backen, M. A., Bámaca-Colbert, M. Y., & Allen, K. (2016). Ethnic identity trajectories among Mexican-origin girls during early and middle adolescence: Predicting future psychosocial adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 52(5), 790–797. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040193
García Coll, C. G., Lamberty, G., Jenkins, R., McAdoo, H. P., Crnic, K., Wasik, B. H., & García, H. V. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67(5), 1891–1914. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131600
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
Jones, M. D., & Galliher, R. V. (2007). Ethnic identity and psychosocial functioning in Navajo adolescents: Ethnic identity and psychosocial functioning. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 17(4), 683–696. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2007.00541.x
Kochhar, R. (2008). Latino workers in the ongoing recession: 2007 to 2008. Pew Hispanic Center. https://www.pewhispanic.org/2008/12/15/latino-workers-in-the-ongoing-recession-2007-to-2008/
MacKinnon, D. P., Lockwood, C. M., & Williams, J. (2004). Confidence limits for the indirect effect: Distribution of the product and resampling methods. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 39(1), 99–128. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr3901_4
McLaughlin, K. A., Hilt, L. M., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2007). Racial/ethnic differences in internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35(5), 801–816. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9128-1
Meca, A., Gonzales-Backen, M., Davis, R., Rodil, J., Soto, D., & Unger, J. B. (2020). Discrimination and ethnic identity: Establishing directionality among Latino/a youth. Developmental Psychology, 56(5), 982–992. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000908
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Muthén & Muthén. http://www.statmodel.com/download/usersguide/Mplus%20user%20guide%20Ver_7_r3_web.pdf
Nair, R. L., White, R. M. B., Roosa, M. W., & Zeiders, K. H. (2013). Cultural stressors and mental health symptoms among Mexican Americans: A prospective study examining the impact of the family and neighborhood context. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(10), 1611–1623. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-012-9834-z
Orth, U., Robins, R. W., Widaman, K. F., & Conger, R. D. (2014). Is low self-esteem a risk factor for depression? Findings from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth. Developmental Psychology, 50(2), 622–633. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033817
Pahl, K., & Way, N. (2006). Longitudinal trajectories of ethnic identity among urban black and Latino adolescents. Child Development, 77(5), 1403–1415. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00943.x
Pew Research Center. (2018). More Latinos have serious concerns about their place in America under Trump [Report]. https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2018/10/25/more-latinos-have-serious-concerns-about-their-place-in-america-under-trump/
Polo, A. J., & López, S. R. (2009). Culture, context, and the internalizing distress of Mexican American youth. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 38(2), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374410802698370
Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1(3), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662167700100306
Rivas-Drake, D., Seaton, E. K., Markstrom, C., Quintana, S., Syed, M., Lee, R. M., & Ethnic and Racial Identity in the 21st Century Study Group. (2014). Ethnic and racial identity in adolescence: Implications for psychosocial, academic, and health outcomes. Child Development, 85(1), 40–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12200
Romero, A. J., Edwards, L. M., Fryberg, S. A., & Orduña, M. (2014). Resilience to discrimination stress across ethnic identity stages of development. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 44(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12192
Romero, A. J., & Roberts, R. E. (2003). The impact of multiple dimensions of ethnic identity on discrimination and adolescents' self-esteem. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(11), 2288. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2003.tb01885.x
Romero-Acosta, K., Penelo, E., Noorian, Z., Ferreira, E., & Domènech-Llaberia, E. (2014). Racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of internalizing symptoms: Do Latin-American immigrant show more symptomatology than Spanish native-born adolescents? Journal of Health Psychology, 19(3), 381–392. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105312471568
Roosa, M. W. (2000). Some thoughts about resilience versus positive development, main effects versus interactions, and the value of resilience. Child Development, 71(3), 567–569. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00166
Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7(2), 147–177. https://doi.org/10.1037//1082-989X.7.2.147
Sirin, S. R., Rogers-Sirin, L., Cressen, J., Gupta, T., Ahmed, S. F., & Novoa, A. D. (2015). Discrimination-related stress effects on the development of internalizing symptoms among Latino adolescents. Child Development, 86(3), 709–725. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12343
Stein, G. L., Castro-Schilo, L., Cavanaugh, A. M., Mejia, Y., Christophe, N. K., & Robins, R. (2019). When discrimination hurts: The longitudinal impact of increases in peer discrimination on anxiety and depressive symptoms in Mexican-origin youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(5), 864–875. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01012-3
Stein, G. L., Supple, A. J., Huq, N., Dunbar, A. S., & Prinstein, M. J. (2016). A longitudinal examination of perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms in ethnic minority youth: The roles of attributional style, positive ethnic/racial affect, and emotional reactivity. Developmental Psychology, 52(2), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039902
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2018). 2018 national survey on drug use and health (NSDUH) [Data tables]. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsqreports/NSDUHDetailedTabs2018R2/NSDUHDetTabsSect9pe2018.htm.
Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories: Studies in social psychology. Cambridge University Press.
Toomey, R. B., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2013). Ethnic identity development and ethnic discrimination: Examining longitudinal associations with adjustment for Mexican-origin adolescent mothers. Journal of Adolescence, 36(5), 825–833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.06.004
Torres, L., Yznaga, S. D., & Moore, K. M. (2011). Discrimination and Latino psychological distress: The moderating role of ethnic identity exploration and commitment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(4), 526–534. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01117.x
Tummala-Narra, P. (2015). Ethnic identity, perceived support, and depressive symptoms among racial minority immigrant-origin adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 85(1), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000022
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Diversi, M., & Fine, M. A. (2002). Ethnic identity and self-esteem of Latino adolescents: Distinctions among the Latino populations. Journal of Adolescent Research, 17(3), 303–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558402173005
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Gonzales-Backen, M. A., & Guimond, A. B. (2009). Latino adolescents’ ethnic identity: Is there a developmental progression and does growth in ethnic identity predict growth in self-esteem? Child Development, 80(2), 391–405. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01267.x
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Guimond, A. B. (2010). A longitudinal examination of parenting behaviors and perceived discrimination predicting Latino adolescents' ethnic identity. Developmental Psychology, 46(3), 636–650. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019376
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Kornienko, O., Douglass Bayless, S., & Updegraff, K. A. (2018). A universal intervention program increases ethnic-racial identity exploration and resolution to predict adolescent psychosocial functioning one year later. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0766-5
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Quintana, S. M., Lee, R. M., Cross, W. E., Jr., Rivas-Drake, D., Schwartz, S. J., & Ethnic and Racial Identity in the 21st Century Study Group. (2014). Ethnic and racial identity during adolescence and into young adulthood: An integrated conceptualization. Child Development, 85(1), 21–39. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12196
Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Yazedjian, A., & Bámaca-Gómez, M. (2004). Developing the ethnic identity scale using Eriksonian and social identity perspectives. Identity, 4(1), 9–38. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532706XID0401_2
Whitbeck, L. B., Hoyt, D. R., McMorris, B. J., Chen, X., & Stubben, J. D. (2001). Perceived discrimination and early substance abuse among American Indian children. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42(4), 405–424. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090187
Zeiders, K. H., Bayless, S. D., Derlan, C. L., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2019). Discrimination and ethnic–racial identity: Understanding direction of effects using within- and between-person analyses. Child Development, 90(3), e373–e385. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12978
Zeiders, K. H., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., & Derlan, C. L. (2013). Trajectories of depressive symptoms and self-esteem in Latino youths: Examining the role of gender and perceived discrimination. Developmental Psychology, 49(5), 951–963. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028866
Zeiders, K. H., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Martinez-Fuentes, S., Updegraff, K. A., Douglass Bayless, S., & Jahromi, L. B. (2018). Latina/o youths’ discrimination experiences in the U.S. southwest: Estimates from three studies. Applied Developmental Science, 25(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.1527695
Zeiders, K. H., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2015). An idiographic and nomothetic approach to the study of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ socio-cultural stressors and adjustment. Prevention Science, 16(3), 386–396. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-014-0502-2
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Mental Health (R36MH077425) and a research grant from the Graduate and Professional Student Association at Arizona State University awarded to Mayra Y. Bámaca-Colbert. This research was supported in part by the Prevention and Methodology Training Program (T32 DA017629) with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through grant R305B090007 to the Pennsylvania State University.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bámaca-Colbert, M.Y. et al. (2022). Longitudinal Linkages Between Ethnic-Racial Identity and Discrimination-Related Distress Among Mexican-Origin Girls. In: Johnson, D.J., Chuang, S.S., Glozman, J. (eds) Re/Formation and Identity. Advances in Immigrant Family Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86426-2_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86426-2_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-86425-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-86426-2
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)