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Discrimination, Self-Esteem, and Mental Health Across Ethnic Groups of Second-Generation Immigrant Adolescents

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Abstract

The relation between discrimination and higher depression by way of reductions in self-esteem has been documented among some racial and ethnic minority populations. Yet, the extent to which the results extend to general forms of discrimination as well as multiple second-generation immigrant ethnic groups remains underexamined. This article assessed the mediating role of self-esteem in the relation between general forms of perceived discrimination and depression symptoms among second-generation immigrant adolescents and assessed the extent to which the relations were invariant across ethnic sub-groups. Analyses were based on data from the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study over two periods spanning adolescence (N = 4288; Mage = 14 and 17). The mediating role of self-esteem was tested via path analysis for the full sample, and multiple-group path analyses compared these results across White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, and other (multiracial) immigrants. Indirect effects were obtained via 5000 bootstrapped replications. In the full sample, the relation between discrimination and depression was mediated by self-esteem with approximately 30% of the total effect mediated. Said mediated relation was only confirmed among White and Asian sub-groups, with 27% and 49% of the total effects mediated, respectively. The results suggest that the process by which discrimination relates to mental health may vary between immigrant racial/ethnic sub-groups. In addition, the results highlight the value of considering broader categorizations of perceived discrimination beyond race or ethnicity to understand complexities associated with intersecting marginalized identities among this population.

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Data Availability

All data are publicly available via ICPSR (https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/).

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  1. Department of Psychology, The City College of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY, USA

    Adriana Espinosa

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Espinosa, A. Discrimination, Self-Esteem, and Mental Health Across Ethnic Groups of Second-Generation Immigrant Adolescents. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 8, 1539–1550 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-020-00917-1

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