Commitment to an Ethnic/Racial Identity Can Be a Stress Buffer Against Discrimination

Formation of an ethnic/racial identity is an important aspect of development, typically occurring in adolescence. Having an ethnic/racial identity means committing (i.e., internalizing the beliefs, attitudes) to one’s ethnic/racial group membership, which builds through a period of exploring, gaining clarity, and developing a positive evaluation of that group.

Research has linked teens’ positive ethnic/racial identity with:

• Better psychological well-being
• More academic engagement
• Less substance use
• Fewer behavioral problems and physical health complaints

To learn how ethnic/racial identity impacts the physical health (e.g., sleep, gastrointestinal pain, headache, back pain, tiredness) of teenagers transitioning to high school, researchers analyzed the survey responses and 2-week diary entries of 279 Black/African American, Asian American, and Hispanic/Latino teenagers aged 13 years to 17 years who participated in a 4-year longitudinal study investigating teens’ daily stressors.

The research team was specifically interested in whether the teens’ stress responses following ethnic/racial discrimination—coping by ruminating versus problem-solving—helped explain links between ethnic/racial identity and physical health, including sleep health.

Results from the current study showed teens reported infrequent ethnic/racial discrimination, with 32.6% reporting at least 1 discriminatory incident in 14 days. On days they did experience discrimination, teens in the process of exploring their race and ethnicity but had not formed an ethnic/racial identity spent more time dwelling on their negative feelings and problem-solving and had poorer sleep and physical health symptoms. In contrast, teens who had already committed and formed an ethnic/racial identity did not work to problem-solve discriminatory experiences.

The researchers concluded that teens still exploring but not committed to an ethnic/racial identity are vulnerable to internalizing negative views when they encounter ethnic/racial discrimination that can compromise their health, whereas commitment is protective.

They encourage teens’ participation in cultural activities to help them cope with discrimination, and interventions that focus on supporting teens in building a strong commitment to their ethnic/racial group can help alleviate stress and the detrimental health effects of discrimination.

Citation
Xie, M., Zhao, Z., Yan, J., Cham, H., & Yip, T. (2024). Ethnic/racial identity, adolescent sleep, and somatic health: Discrimination and stress responses as mediating mechanisms. Journal of Adolescent Health, 74(3), 514-522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.09.012

Page published Dec. 23, 2024