The Combined Effect of Ethnic Identity Strength and Profiles on the Mental Health of Acadian University Students

Abstract

Tous droits réservés © Institut canadien de recherche sur les minorités linguistiques / Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities, 2018 Ce document est protégé par la loi sur le droit d'auteur. L'utilisation des services d'Érudit (y compris la reproduction) est assujettie à sa politique d'utilisation que vous pouvez consulter en ligne.https://apropos.erudit.org/fr/usagers/politique-dutilisation/ Cet article est diffusé et préservé par Érudit.Érudit est un consortium interuniversitaire sans but lucratif composé de l'Université de Montréal, l'Université Laval et l'Université du Québec à Montréal. Il a pour mission la promotion et la valorisation de la recherche. AbstractThis two-part study aims to examine the moderating effect of ethnic identity strength on the relationship between ethnic identity profiles and mental health among Acadian university students who occupy a relative minority or majority status in the province of New Brunswick. Study 1 tested the factorial structure of an ethnic identity profile measure for Acadian students. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a three-factor model, resulting in Affirmation, Detachment and Insecurity profiles. In Study 2, results of the moderation analysis revealed that the combination of a strong ethnic identity and an Affirmation profile provides protection against mental health issues for minority-status Acadian students, but not for majority-status Acadian students. Conversely, the combinations of a strong ethnic identity with the Detachment and Insecurity profiles increased the vulnerability of minority-status Acadian students to mental health issues, but not that of majority-status students.

Odds of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in School-Aged Children From Official Language Minority Communities

“…At the provincial level, Francophone and Anglophone students had statistically equal odds of experiencing symptoms of anxiety, but in the Francophone OLMC, Francophones found themselves to be 1.42 [1.12, 1.80] times more vulnerable to these symptoms. Possible explanations for this association include assimilation pressures due to the importance of English in an Anglophone environment (24,25), insecurity linked to the loss of Francophone or Acadian identity (39) or even collective angst, "a group-based emotion that stems from concern for the future vitality of one's social group" (40). When Francophone students were in a Francophone context, as is the case in the Madawaska region, the increased vulnerability to anxiety symptoms found in minority Francophones was muted.…”