Abstract
In order to examine ethnic and American identity as predictors of self-esteem among adolescents, we surveyed 669 American-born high school students (372 Latinos, 232 African Americans, and 65 Whites). Participants completed measures of self-esteem, ethnic identity, American identity, attitudes toward other groups, and demographic variables. Multiple regression analyses of self-esteem were carried out separately for each ethnic group, using ethnic and American identity, other-group attitudes, gender, age, socioeconomic status, and grade point average as predictors. Results indicated that for all groups ethnic identity was a significant predictor of self-esteem. For the White students only, American identity was a strong predictor of self-esteem and was highly correlated with ethnic identity. Other predictors varied across ethnic groups. Although ethnic identity was a significant predictor of self-esteem, it accounted for a relatively small proportion of the variance, suggesting the importance of other influences on self-esteem.
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Phinney, J.S., Cantu, C.L. & Kurtz, D.A. Ethnic and American Identity as Predictors of Self-Esteem Among African American, Latino, and White Adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 26, 165–185 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024500514834
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024500514834