scholarly journals Ethnic identity: Evidence of protective effects for young, Latino children

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Serrano-Villar ◽  
Esther J. Calzada
2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pauline Garcia-Reid ◽  
Christina Hamme Peterson ◽  
Robert James Reid ◽  
Paul W. Speer ◽  
N. Andrew Peterson

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 245-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria M. Arredondo ◽  
Melanie Rosado ◽  
Teresa Satterfield

Studies show positive associations between ethnic identity, socio-emotional health and academic success. However, most work is carried out with adolescents and few have examined how young children develop an ethnic identity, particularly u.s. Latino children. The present study represents a first-pass investigation of children’s ethnic identity mechanisms and their relation to academic success. We carried out semi-structured interviews in Spanish with 25 Latino children (ages 5–12). Open-ended questions addressed items on the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure and Ethnic Identity Scale, incorporating a mixed qualitative (i.e., themes) and quantitative (i.e., scoring) analysis. Results revealed that children provide great detail when discussing their ethnic background. Additionally, Latino children’s bilingualism and Spanish-language proficiency were significant markers of ethnic identity formation, which in turn were positively associated with affect and Spanish literacy. These findings shed light on the complexities of ethnic identity construction during children’s early years, and establish a path for further investigation of Latino children’s socio-emotional health and academic achievement.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aashir Nasim ◽  
Faye Z. Belgrave ◽  
Robert J. Jagers ◽  
Karen D. Wilson ◽  
Kristal Owens

African-American adolescents have lower rates of alcohol consumption than White youth. However, African-American youth suffer disproportionately more adverse social, mental, and physical health outcomes related to alcohol use. Affiliating with negative peers is a risk factor for alcohol initiation and consumption. Cultural variables have shown moderating effects against other risk factors for African-American youth and therefore were the focus of this study. Specifically, we tested whether three culturally-relevant variables, Africentric beliefs, religiosity, and ethnic identity were promotive or protective for alcohol initiation and use within the context of negative peer affiliations. The sample consisted of 114 at-risk African-American adolescents whose ages ranged from 13 to 20. Participants were administered a questionnaire with measures of alcohol initiation and use, peer risk behaviors, ethnic identity, Africentric beliefs, religiosity, and demographic items. Peer risk behaviors accounted for significant percentages of the variance in age of alcohol initiation, lifetime use, and current and heavy alcohol use after adjusting for age and gender. Cultural variables showed both promotive and protective effects. Africentric beliefs were promotive of delayed alcohol initiation, whereas both Africentrism and religiosity moderated peer risk behaviors effect on alcohol initiation. Africentric beliefs were also inversely related to lifetime alcohol use revealing a promotive effect. Moreover, there were significant protective effects of ethnic identity and religiosity on heavy alcohol consumption. One implication of these findings is that prevention programs that infuse cultural values and practices such as Africentrism, ethnic identity, and religiosity may delay alcohol initiation and reduce use especially for youth with high risk peers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Darmanaki Farahani ◽  
Graham L. Bradley

Adolescents who immigrate face particular adjustment challenges. This study investigated (a) levels of wellbeing and depression in migrant adolescents and their Australian native counterparts, (b) associations between adjustment and four psychosocial resources, and (c) moderating effects of country of birth on the relationships between these resources and adjustment indices. The sample (N = 327) included students born in Australia, English-speaking countries other than Australia, and non-English-speaking countries. Students born outside of Australia in English-speaking countries reported highest mean levels of wellbeing and ethnic identity. Ethnic identity did not have the expected protective effects on migrant adolescent adjustment. In contrast, a sense of school membership affected Australian-born adolescents more positively than it did their overseas-born peers. The results raise questions regarding sources of support and connectedness that might particularly help migrant adolescents.


1978 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 220-235
Author(s):  
David L. Ratusnik ◽  
Carol Melnick Ratusnik ◽  
Karen Sattinger

Short-form versions of the Screening Test of Spanish Grammar (Toronto, 1973) and the Northwestern Syntax Screening Test (Lee, 1971) were devised for use with bilingual Latino children while preserving the original normative data. Application of a multiple regression technique to data collected on 60 lower social status Latino children (four years and six months to seven years and one month) from Spanish Harlem and Yonkers, New York, yielded a small but powerful set of predictor items from the Spanish and English tests. Clinicians may make rapid and accurate predictions of STSG or NSST total screening scores from administration of substantially shortened versions of the instruments. Case studies of Latino children from Chicago and Miami serve to cross-validate the procedure outside the New York metropolitan area.


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