Mental health implications of the acting white accusation: the role of cultural betrayal and ethnic-racial identity among Black and Latina/o emerging adults

The "acting white" accusation (AWA) is a cultural invalidation commonly experienced by people of color that challenges their ethnic-racial authenticity for demonstrating behaviors that are not traditionally associated with their ethnic-racial group. Prior research shows that the AWA has negative implications for mental health and ethnic-racial identity (ERI). Cultural betrayal trauma theory also suggests that harmful events perpetrated by ingroup members have unique harm due to the violation of (intra)cultural trust. Prior research has yet to examine the distinct mental health implications of the AWA from ethnic-racial ingroup versus outgroup perpetrators. The present study examines this gap in the literature using longitudinal data and investigates whether ERI centrality moderates the relationship between AWA perpetrators and mental health outcomes. Emerging adults (N = 401; 43% Black, 57% Latina/o; 65% female) were recruited upon enrollment at five predominantly White universities in the Midwest U.S. and surveyed multiple times over their first year of college. Results indicated that AWA insults from ethnic-racial ingroup members were associated with more severe mental health outcomes (greater anxiety and depressive symptoms). Further, ERI centrality provided a protective buffering effect that reduced depressive symptoms, but this effect only occurred for students who received the AWA from White perpetrators and ERI centrality was not protective against AWA insults from ingroup perpetrators. Study findings highlight that specific AWA perpetrators and a person's level of ERI centrality should be taken into consideration when determining the best strategies for helping Black and Latina/o college students cope with cultural invalidations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).P30 AG015281 - NIA NIH HHSAccepted manuscrip

Political Activism and Mental Health Among Black and Latinx College Students

Objectives: The current study investigates the utility of political activism as a protective factor against experiences of racial/ethnic (R/E) discrimination that negatively affect stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Black and Latinx college freshmen at predominately White institutions. Method: Data come from the Minority College Cohort Study, a longitudinal investigation of Black and Latinx college students (N = 504; 44% Black). We conducted multiple regression analyses for each mental health indicator and tested for interaction effects. Results: For Black and Latinx students, the relationship between R/E microaggressions and end of freshman year stress varied by political activism. For Black students, the relationship between R/E microaggressions and end of the year anxiety varied by political activism. There was a significant interaction effect for depressive symptoms among Latinx students. Conclusions: Political activism serves as a protective factor to mitigate the negative effect of R/E discrimination on stress and depressive symptoms for Latinx students. For Black students, higher levels of political activism may exacerbate experiences of R/E microaggressions and relate to more stress and anxiety compared with Black students who are less politically involved. Findings point to the need for a deeper understanding of phenomenological variation in experiences of microaggressions among R/E minorities and how students leverage political activism as an adaptive coping strategy to mitigate race-related stress during college

Critical Action and Ethnic–Racial Identity: Tools of Racial Resistance at the College Transition

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/174826/1/jora12790_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/174826/2/jora12790.pd

The protective role of ethnic identity for urban adolescent males facing multiple stressors

Having a connection to one’s ethnic heritage is considered a protective factor in the face of discrimination; however, it is unclear whether the protective effects are persistent across multiple stressors. Furthermore, the dimensions of ethnic identity that reflect group pride/connection (affirmation) and exploration of the meaning of group membership (achievement) may operate differently in the face of stress. The present study examined the moderating role of ethnic identity affirmation and achievement on concurrent and longitudinal relationships between exposure to stress (discrimination, family hardship, exposure to violence) and antisocial behavior in a sample of 256 Black and Latino male youth (70\ua0% Black) living in low-income urban neighborhoods. Using regression analysis, concurrent associations were examined at age 18, and longitudinal associations were tested 18\ua0months later. We found that, among youth experiencing discrimination, high levels of achievement and low levels of affirmation predicted greater aggressive behavior and delinquency. Low affirmation also predicted more criminal offending in the face of discrimination. The two dimensions operated similarly in the context of family stress, in which case high levels of affirmation and achievement predicted lower levels of antisocial behavior. The findings suggest a differential role of the two dimensions of ethnic identity with respect to discrimination; furthermore, the coping skills that may be promoted as youth make meaning of their ethnic group membership may serve as cultural assets in the face of family stress