Abstract
The relationships of ethnic identity to self-esteem and psychosocial discomfort were studied in 62 Mexican-American high school students in a large midwestern city. It was hypothesized that those with bicultural identities would demonstrate greater self-esteem and psychosocial well-being than those who identified primarily with Mexican or U.S. cultures. Results indicate that bicultural participants reported greater self-esteem, ability to socialize in diverse settings, and psychological well-being than their primarily U.S. or Mexican acculturated peers. These findings suggest that bicultural adolescents may be better adjusted, more flexible, and better able to mediate acculturative stress in culturally ambiguous circumstances.
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de Domanico, Y.B., Crawford, I. & De Wolfe, A.S. Ethnic identity and self-concept in Mexican-American adolescents: Is bicultural identity related to stress or better adjustment?. Child Youth Care Forum 23, 197–206 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02209228
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02209228