Adolescent Mixed-Ancestry Identity – Research in Process – Consider for Girls

Racial/ethnic self-identification can vary over time and
place, in other words, some adolescents of mixed ancestry report different
single-race or mixed-race identifications at different times and in
different situations. The beginnings of theoretical models of
mixed-racial/ethnic identity development exist but none have been
empirically validated with large samples drawn from diverse regions of the
U.S. nor have they been able to account for this fluidity/variability in
self-identification. Also, a growing body of evidence suggests that some
mixed-ancestry adolescents (variously defined) have poorer social
adjustment outcomes — such as depression, substance use, and health
problems — than their single-race-reporting peers, but whether they also
have particular strengths has not been systematically studied. For these
reasons, an examination of the development of mixed-ancestry identity, its
precursors, and its sequelae is timely. The significance of this study
lies in the new conceptual approach to measuring mixed-ancestry
identification among adolescents and also in our use of new statistical
tools, which will assess both the strengths and vulnerabilities of
mixed-ancestry youth. The measurement pilot will proceed in two phases.
Initially, the total student body of several high schools will be asked to
complete a screening survey. The next phase will be in-depth interviews
with students whose responses to the screening survey indicate that they
have the potential to identify themselves as having a mixed racial/ethnic
identity. The outcome of the measurement pilot will inform a nationwide
longitudinal study of mixed-ancestry identity development planned for the
future.

The study is carried out by a diverse team of social
scientists all of whom have experience with research on racial and ethnic
minority populations. Sumru Erkut, Michelle Porche and Allison Tracy lead
the team and they are joined by Heidie Vazquez Garcia, Jo H. Kim, and
Ineke Ceder. The researchers employ Peony Fhagen-Smith’s Mixed Ancestry
Racial/Ethnic Identity Development (MAREID) Model as the framework for the
research. The team is assisted by an Advisory Board made up of prominent
scholars in the fields of racial and ethnic studies and mixed ancestry:
Ana Mari Cauce, William E. Cross, Jr., David R. Harris, Michael Omi, Kerry
Ann Rockquemore, Maria P. P. Root, C. Matthew Snip, and Mary C.
Waters.

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