Developmental Interplay between Ethnic, National, and Personal Identity in Immigrant Adolescents

Bibliographic Data

ID8115342
AuthorsStefanos Mastrotheodoro (0000-0002-0936-6143, Utrecht University, corresponding author), Olga Kornienko (0000-0002-7327-0250, George Mason University), Adriana J Umaña‐taylor (0000-0002-8618-0115, Harvard University), Adriana Umaña-Taylor, Frosso Motti-Stefanidi, Frosso Motti‐Stefanidi (0000-0003-4290-4895, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens)
Year2021
Volume50
Issue6
Pages1126-1139
Publication date2021-04-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Youth and Adolescence (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-2891 • E-ISSN: 1573-6601
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s10964-021-01434-y
PMID33864567
OpenAlexW3155640095
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited45

Developing a personal identity is a core developmental task for all adolescents. Immigrant adolescents need to integrate the meaning that their belonging to their ethnic group and the receiving nation has for them into their personal identity. The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal interplay between personal, ethnic, and national identities of a middle school sample of immigrant youth ( N = 765, M age = 12.7 years, SD = 0.6 at T1; 46% girls) enroled in Greek schools. Data were collected in three waves with repeated measures. To test the link between these identities, two trivariate Cross-Lagged Panel Models were ran, one examining identity exploration and the other examining identity commitment. The results revealed robust within time positive links between ethnic, national and personal identities for both exploration and commitment at all three time-points. There was some evidence that ethnic and national identities were negatively linked longitudinally, and limited support for longitudinal associations between these domains and personal identity. Follow-up analyses suggest that these processes may be specific to second generation youth and that findings may differ by ethnic background. Finally, the findings that emerged are discussed with attention to the socio-political climate in the receiving nation

Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · Health psychology · Identity (music · Identity formation · Immigration · Longitudinal study · Meaning (existential · Personal identity · Political science · Public health · Self-concept · Social group · Social identity theory · Sociology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Social Psychology

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