Abstract
Gender identity felt pressure is negatively associated with adjustment indices, including self-esteem, among children and early adolescents, and both gender and ethnic-racial identity felt pressure are negatively associated with self-esteem among young adults. This study explored the longitudinal associations between gender identity and ethnic-racial identity felt pressure from family and peers to behave in either gender or race/ethnic-accordant ways, and self-esteem among a sample of 750 (49.2% female) African American (n = 194) and Latino/a youth (n = 556) (M = 12.10 years, SD = .97 years). For African Americans, the results revealed significant negative longitudinal associations between (a) ethnic-racial identity felt pressure from family at Time 1 and self-esteem at Time 2 and (b) ethnic-racial identity felt pressure from peers at Time 1 and self-esteem at Time 2, controlling for self-esteem at Time 1. These associations were not found among Latinos/as, nor were associations found between gender identity felt pressure from peers or family and self-esteem. The findings are discussed by drawing on the gender identity and ethnic-racial identity literatures.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the graduate and undergraduate students who contributed to this project and the students, teachers, principal, staff, and parents for their participation. They also would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Alisia (Giac-Thao) T. Tran, Assistant Professor in the Counseling & Counseling Psychology program at Arizona State University, for her insightful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript, and to Dr. Scott C. Marley, Associate Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, for his suggestions for data analysis that helped improve the quality of this manuscript.
Funding
Funds in support of this research were provided by the T. Denny Sanford Foundation and by the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University as part of the Lives of Girls and Boys Enterprise (livesofgirlsandboys.org).
Authors' Contributions
K.A. conceived of the study, helped perform statistical analysis, and led the writing of the manuscript; C.S. helped conceive of the study, performed the statistical analysis and interpretation of the data, and assisted with the writing of the manuscript; K.U. provided feedback on multiple drafts of the manuscript, and assisted with the writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Aoyagi, K., Santos, C.E. & Updegraff, K.A. Longitudinal Associations between Gender and Ethnic-Racial Identity Felt Pressure from Family and Peers and Self-Esteem among African American and Latino/a Youth. J Youth Adolescence 47, 207–221 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0750-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0750-0