Ethnic identity achievement is the outcome of an exploration process that results in a stable and... more Ethnic identity achievement is the outcome of an exploration process that results in a stable and secure understanding of one’s ethnic group. The achievement process helps people understand and cope with racial discrimination and prejudice they experience and is thus essential for the development of positive self-worth for youth and young adults. However, the theoretical relationship between ethnic identity achievement and self-worth is not entirely clear. Drawing on an ethnically diverse sample of college students (N = 1504), we test a theoretical model hypothesizing that ethnic identity achievement helps people verify their ethnic identity. In turn, this enhances how people feel about themselves as a member of their ethnic group (group-specific self-worth), and thus how they feel about themselves generally (global self-worth). We find support for our hypotheses with no evidence of gender or ethnic variation. By integrating the ethnic identity achievement model with principles from identity theory, our findings provide theoretical elaboration to the ethnic identity achievement process as well as the role played by group-specific self-worth in the verification of social identities.
This study explores the extent to which parental and peer behaviors and norms may affect substanc... more This study explores the extent to which parental and peer behaviors and norms may affect substance use, personal anti-drug norms and intentions to use drugs in a group of Mexican heritage preadolescents in the Southwest, and whether these parental and peer influences differ according to gender. Secondary data from a randomized trial of a drug prevention program was used. The
This article examined the impact of linguistic acculturation and gender on the substance use init... more This article examined the impact of linguistic acculturation and gender on the substance use initiation of a sample of 1,473 Mexican heritage preadolescents attending 30 public schools in Phoenix, Arizona. It was hypothesized that linguistic acculturation operates differently as a risk or protective factor for young children than for older youth. The study used discrete-time event history methods to model the rate at which nonusing children initiate substance use. Alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and inhalants were studied separately while inhalant use was examined more closely. Results suggested that while linguistic acculturation is a risk factor for Mexican heritage preadolescents, this association depended on gender, the linguistic acculturation context (family, friends, or media), and the type of substance. For inhalants, higher linguistic acculturation with friends was inversely associated with drug initiation both for boys and girls. Implications for preventive science and future intervention research are discussed.
This article examines key aspects of the school environment - its composition by ethnicity and ac... more This article examines key aspects of the school environment - its composition by ethnicity and acculturation - as important social contexts for understanding Mexican immigrant and Mexican American adolescents' drug use norms and behaviors. Results are presented based on surveys completed by Mexican-background students from 35 Phoenix. Arizona middle schools, whose enrollment ranged from a numerical minority to an overwhelming majority. Multivariate mixed models tested for the influence of school ethnic composition measures on substance use outcomes, while accounting for individual level predictors and for the nesting of data at the school level. The proportional representation of Latinos in the school was not a factor in an individual's drug use norms or drug use for the sample overall. Once students were broken down by acculturation status, however, ethnic composition had an effect. Less acculturated Mexican heritage students in schools with higher proportions of Latino stu...
Ethnic identity achievement is the outcome of an exploration process that results in a stable and... more Ethnic identity achievement is the outcome of an exploration process that results in a stable and secure understanding of one’s ethnic group. The achievement process helps people understand and cope with racial discrimination and prejudice they experience and is thus essential for the development of positive self-worth for youth and young adults. However, the theoretical relationship between ethnic identity achievement and self-worth is not entirely clear. Drawing on an ethnically diverse sample of college students (N = 1504), we test a theoretical model hypothesizing that ethnic identity achievement helps people verify their ethnic identity. In turn, this enhances how people feel about themselves as a member of their ethnic group (group-specific self-worth), and thus how they feel about themselves generally (global self-worth). We find support for our hypotheses with no evidence of gender or ethnic variation. By integrating the ethnic identity achievement model with principles from identity theory, our findings provide theoretical elaboration to the ethnic identity achievement process as well as the role played by group-specific self-worth in the verification of social identities.
This study explores the extent to which parental and peer behaviors and norms may affect substanc... more This study explores the extent to which parental and peer behaviors and norms may affect substance use, personal anti-drug norms and intentions to use drugs in a group of Mexican heritage preadolescents in the Southwest, and whether these parental and peer influences differ according to gender. Secondary data from a randomized trial of a drug prevention program was used. The
This article examined the impact of linguistic acculturation and gender on the substance use init... more This article examined the impact of linguistic acculturation and gender on the substance use initiation of a sample of 1,473 Mexican heritage preadolescents attending 30 public schools in Phoenix, Arizona. It was hypothesized that linguistic acculturation operates differently as a risk or protective factor for young children than for older youth. The study used discrete-time event history methods to model the rate at which nonusing children initiate substance use. Alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and inhalants were studied separately while inhalant use was examined more closely. Results suggested that while linguistic acculturation is a risk factor for Mexican heritage preadolescents, this association depended on gender, the linguistic acculturation context (family, friends, or media), and the type of substance. For inhalants, higher linguistic acculturation with friends was inversely associated with drug initiation both for boys and girls. Implications for preventive science and future intervention research are discussed.
This article examines key aspects of the school environment - its composition by ethnicity and ac... more This article examines key aspects of the school environment - its composition by ethnicity and acculturation - as important social contexts for understanding Mexican immigrant and Mexican American adolescents' drug use norms and behaviors. Results are presented based on surveys completed by Mexican-background students from 35 Phoenix. Arizona middle schools, whose enrollment ranged from a numerical minority to an overwhelming majority. Multivariate mixed models tested for the influence of school ethnic composition measures on substance use outcomes, while accounting for individual level predictors and for the nesting of data at the school level. The proportional representation of Latinos in the school was not a factor in an individual's drug use norms or drug use for the sample overall. Once students were broken down by acculturation status, however, ethnic composition had an effect. Less acculturated Mexican heritage students in schools with higher proportions of Latino stu...
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