1. The Development of Ethnic Identity From Late Childhood to Young Adulthood: Findings From a 10-Year Longitudinal Study of Mexican-Origin Youth
- Author
-
Verónica Benet-Martínez, Richard W. Robins, and Chieh Lu
- Subjects
Longitudinal study ,Social Psychology ,05 social sciences ,Mexican origin ,Ethnic group ,050109 social psychology ,Late childhood ,Developmental psychology ,Large sample ,Clinical Psychology ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Young adult ,Psychology ,Ethnic identity development ,050104 developmental & child psychology - Abstract
Ethnic identity is a crucial developmental task for ethnic minority youth. The present study investigated the development of ethnic identity in a large sample of Mexican-origin youth ( N = 674) assessed biennially from age 10 to 19. Latent growth curve modeling was used to examine the trajectory of ethnic identity and its two facets: exploration (efforts to explore one’s ethnic group) and affirmation (positive connection to one’s ethnic group). Results showed a linear decline over time for ethnic identity and both facets; exploration declined more rapidly than affirmation. Using multigroup modeling, we tested whether the trajectories differ across gender and nativity. Compared to boys, girls’ ethnic identity, exploration, and affirmation decreased less. The trajectories did not differ for youth born in Mexico versus the United States. Discussion considers the impact of developmental, acculturative, and social–contextual processes on ethnic identity development as well unique features of our ethnic identity measure.
- Published
- 2020