Melinda Gonzales-Backen

Biographic Data

ID768435
NAMEMelinda Gonzales-Backen
GIVEN NAMESMelinda
FAMILY NAMEGonzales-Backen
SIGNATUREGONZALES-BACKEN M
AFFILIATIONSFlorida State University
VERIFIEDNo
TOTAL WORKS9
TOTAL CITATIONS99
AUTHOR COUNT9
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2006
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX4

  • Revisiting the two-factor model of ethnic–racial and U.S. identity exploration among Hispanic college students

    Alan Meca, Bethany Cruz et al.ARTICLECultural Diversity & Ethnic…2026

    OBJECTIVE: Establishing a positive ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and U.S. identity (USI) is an important cultural asset capable of promoting positive adjustment. Although exploration has been identified as the fundamental process underlying ERI and USI development, existing research has largely utilized a unidimensional conceptualization. The present study sought to replicate Syed et al.'s (2013) findings, which differentiated between two forms of…

  • Testing the Empirical Distinctiveness of Ethnic-Racial and U.S. Identity

    Alan Meca, Bethany Cruz et al.ARTICLEIdentity2026

    Ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and United States identity (USI) have been highlighted to play independent roles in fostering positive adjustment. Despite this, limited efforts have been made to determine the empirical distinctiveness between ERI and USI. Addressing this gap, utilizing an ethnically diverse sample of 2,515 college-attending emerging adults (60% Hispanic/Latine: Mage = 18.88 years, 69% cisgender female), the current study examined th…

  • Directional Effects in Cultural Identity: A Family Systems Approach for Immigrant Latinx Families

    Open AccessAlan Meca, Oswaldo Moreno et al.ARTICLEJournal of Youth and Adolescence2021Cited by: 9References: 17

  • Dynamic Transition Patterns in Acculturation Among Hispanic Adolescents

    Open AccessTae Kyoung Lee, Alan Meca et al.ARTICLEChild Development2020

    Acculturation consists of multiple domains (i.e., cultural practices, identifications, and values). However, less is known about how acculturation processes influence each other across multiple domains of acculturation. This study was designed to investigate transition patterns of acculturative processes within and across domains in a sample of 302 recent-immigrant Hispanic adolescents, Mage (SD) = 14.51 years (0.88) at baseline; male = 53%). Ado…

  • Examining the Directionality Between Identity Development and Depressive Symptoms Among Recently Immigrated Hispanic Adolescents

    Open AccessAlan Meca, Julia C Rodil et al.ARTICLEJournal of Youth and Adolescence2019Cited by: 6References: 44

  • Romantic relationships among emerging adult African-American men: A latent profile analysis

    Open AccessSteven M Kogan, Kimberly A Allen et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2019Cited by: 4References: 50

    Studies of romantic relationships among emerging adult African-American men have the potential to inform downstream challenges observed in marriage and relationship development among African-Americans. To date, however, most research on African-American men has focused narrowly on sexual risk behavior, to the exclusion of normative relationship behavior. Accordingly, we focused on understanding heterogeneity in emerging adult African-American men…

  • Latino parent acculturation stress: Longitudinal effects on family functioning and youth emotional and behavioral health.

    Open AccessElma I Lorenzo-Blanco, Elma I Lorenzo‐Blanco et al.ARTICLEJournal of Family Psychology2016

    Latino parents can experience acculturation stressors, and according to the Family Stress Model (FSM), parent stress can influence youth mental health and substance use by negatively affecting family functioning. To understand how acculturation stressors come together and unfold over time to influence youth mental health and substance use outcomes, the current study investigated the trajectory of a latent parent acculturation stress factor and it…

  • A Longitudinal Examination of Latino Adolescents' Ethnic Identity, Coping With Discrimination, and Self-Esteem

    Open AccessAdriana J Umaña‐taylor, Delfino Vargas Chanes et al.ARTICLEThe Journal of Early Adolescence2008Cited by: 80References: 31

    The current longitudinal study tested the premise that Latino adolescents' ( N = 323) proactive coping with discrimination would mediate the relationship between ethnic identity and self-esteem. Each component of ethnic identity (i.e., exploration, resolution, and affirmation) was positively associated with concurrent assessments of adolescents' self-esteem. However, in the longitudinal analyses, none of the ethnic identity components predicted f…

  • Ethnic Identity and the Daily Psychological Well-Being of Adolescents From Mexican and Chinese Backgrounds

    Open AccessLisa Kiang, Tiffany Yip et al.ARTICLEChild Development2006

    Protective effects of ethnic identity on daily psychological well-being were examined in a sample of 415 ninth graders from Mexican and Chinese backgrounds. Utilizing daily diary assessments and multilevel modeling, adolescents with a greater regard for their ethnic group exhibited greater levels of daily happiness and less daily anxiety averaged over the 2-week study period. Ethnic regard moderated the daily association between normative stressf…