Perceived Discrimination and Ethnic Affirmation: Anglo Culture Orientation as a Moderator Among Mexican‐Origin Adolescent Mothers

Abstract

The current study examined whether Anglo culture orientation modified the association between adolescents’ perceived ethnic discrimination and ethnic identity affirmation over time in a sample of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers (N = 205, M age = 16.24 years). Results indicated that perceived ethnic discrimination was significantly associated with decreases in ethnic identity affirmation over time for adolescents reporting high Anglo culture orientation, but no relation existed for adolescents reporting low Anglo culture orientation. Findings suggest that a person-environment mismatch (i.e., between adolescents’ perceptions of their connection to Anglo culture and the messages they receive from others regarding that connection in terms of perceived ethnic discrimination) may be detrimental to adolescents’ development of positive feelings about their ethnicity.

Ethnic/racial identity and academic achievement: A meta-analytic review

“…As a recent example of this approach (Derlan et al, 2014) suggested that ERI would act as a protective mechanism against discrimination, whereby students would continue to engage in classroom learning despite the perception that their teachers discriminated against them. Note that in the absence of the perceived discrimination, no correlation between ERI and achievement would be expected.…”

Perceived Discrimination and Mexican-Origin Young Adults’ Sleep Duration and Variability: The Moderating Role of Cultural Orientations

“…This relation is consistent with prior work linking experiences of discrimination to more sleep disruptions, lower sleep quality, and fewer hours of sleep (Slopen et al, 2015), and suggests that, when youth are oriented only to Anglo culture, they are at a disadvantage as compared to their bicultural and enculturated counterparts. Being more exclusively oriented to the mainstream culture (acculturated) may make experiences of discrimination—which are likely coming from members of the mainstream culture—particularly harmful because they create dissonance and a sense of alienation (Derlan, eta l., 2014). However, if individuals’ cultural orientations encompass both the mainstream culture and their culture of origin, the impact of discrimination may be lessened because their bicultural orientation provides a second cultural group to turn to for affirmation and support.…”

“…For example, cultural orientations may provide Mexican-origin young adults a lens through which to view and understand events; when they perceive discrimination, its meaning may be interpreted through their cultural orientation configuration. If individuals are strongly and more exclusively oriented to the mainstream culture, experiences of ethnic-based discrimination may be particularly harmful because they create dissonance and a sense of alienation: Although the individual's identity is strongly connected to the dominant culture, others treat them as cultural outsiders in ethnic-based discrimination (Derlan, Umaña-Taylor, Toomey, Updegraff, Jahromi, & Flores, 2014). However, if individuals’ cultural orientations encompass both the mainstream culture and their culture of origin, the impact of discrimination may be lessened because their bicultural orientation provides a second cultural group to turn to for affirmation and support.…”

“…For instance, among Latino males, but not females, acculturative and enculturative orientations, separately interacted with discrimination to predict depressive symptoms and self-esteem (Umaña-Taylor & Updegraff, 2007): Acculturative orientations exacerbated the links between discrimination experiences and maladjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms, low self-esteem), whereas enculturative orientations weakened the links between discrimination and maladjustment. In a recent longitudinal examination, discrimination experiences interacted with Mexican-origin adolescent mothers’ acculturative orientations to predict ethnic-racial identity affirmation (Derlan et al, 2014). Specifically, when adolescent mothers reported higher Anglo orientations, higher discrimination predicted more negative feelings about their ethnic-racial identity one year later.…”

Longitudinal Reciprocal Relationships Between Discrimination and Ethnic Affect or Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese American Adolescents

“…To date, extant studies on ethnic minorities' discrimination experiences have focused mainly on African Americans and Latinos (Derlan et al, 2014; Seaton et al, 2014; Seaton, Yip, & Sellers, 2009). There is a dearth of studies on the relationship between discrimination and adolescent outcomes, specifically ethnic identity, among Asian Americans (Umaña-Taylor et al, 2014).…”