Ethnic-racial identity as a developmental asset in the context of marginalization.

Abstract

Exposure to ethnic-racial discrimination is a common experience for immigrant and ethnic-racial minoritized youth in the United States. Given the detrimental effects of exposure to ethnic-racial discrimination for minoritized youth development and adjustment, it is important to elucidate risk-reducing mechanisms, processes set in motion in response to risk that support adolescent adjustment. Specifically, this study investigated whether ethnic-racial identity (ERI) achievement and affirmation functioned as mediating mechanisms that reduced the negative effects of peer ethnic-racial discrimination on youth adjustment, particularly their bicultural competence development. The sample included 749 U.S. Mexican-origin youth (30% Mexico-born; 51% male) followed from early to late adolescence (M_age = 12.79-17.38 years; 2004-2013). Longitudinal mediation analyses revealed that middle-adolescent ERI achievement (but not affirmation) served as a risk reducer, mediating the association between early-adolescent exposure to peer ethnic-racial discrimination and late-adolescent bicultural competence. Specifically, early-adolescent exposure to peer ethnic-racial discrimination was associated with increases in late-adolescent bicultural competence via increases in middle-adolescent ERI achievement. These findings were consistent across youth with different social positions based on gender and nativity status. Findings highlight minoritized youth resilience characterized by increased bicultural competence in the face of peer ethnic-racial discrimination. Importantly, this resilience was possible via increases in their ERI achievement. This study advances a developmental understanding of adaptive responses to peer ethnic-racial discrimination across adolescence and elucidates intervening mechanisms that can promote youth positive development in the context of marginalization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).