Masters Thesis

The Role of Parents and Peers in the Ethnic Identitysocioemotional Well-Being Relationship among Children of Immigrants

The current study explored the relationship between ethnic identity and indices of well-being, the mediating role of social relationships, and the moderating role of adherence to Latino familism values, over a 2–year period. First, it was anticipated that ethnic identification would be positively associated with self-esteem and negatively associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Next, it was hypothesized that perceived quality of both parental and peer relationships would mediate the association between ethnic identity and socioemotional well-being among young adults of a rapidly growing sector of the population. It was expected that parental relationships would have a greater mediating influence than peer relationships. Finally, it was anticipated that endorsement of familism values would moderate the indirect effects being explored. Participants (N=111, 82% female, M age at time 1=19.08, SD=1.15) were Latino college students, who completed scales examining ethnic identity, parent and peer relationship quality, Mexican-American values, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Data were collected twice with data points one year apart. Results suggest that ethnic identity was positively associated with socioemotional well-being, and that parental relationship quality had a greater mediating influence on this relationship, as was expected. Endorsement of familism values did not moderate the indirect effects of parental and peer relationships. Findings indicate that committing to one’s ethnic identity enhances socioemotional well-being and demonstrate the complex interplay of social relationships. Efforts that are geared towards supporting ethnic identity exploration and fostering an inclusive environment where young adults feel comfortable exploring their ethnic identity are important and necessary.

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