Family Ethnic Socialization: Examining Pathways to Psychological Adjustment Among Ethnic Minority College Students

Given the U.S. Census projects that nearly half of all Americans will be members of ethnic minority groups by the year 2050, it is important to understand factors that contribute to the risk and resilience of ethnic minority youth. The present study examines whether family ethnic socialization processes, such as enculturation (teaching about the meaning of one's ethnicity and cultural history) and racialization (teaching about racism and discrimination), confer risk for or protection against psychological distress in ethnic minority young adults. The research was organized around four aims: 1) to examine whether enculturation and racialization are differentially related to psychological adjustment among ethnic minority young adults, controlling for potentially confounding family and parent characteristics, 2) to examine whether the relationships between ethnic socialization processes and psychological adjustment are mediated by trait optimism and pessimism, 3) to examine whether the relationships between ethnic socialization processes and psychological adjustment are mediated by intergroup attributions of ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation, and 4) to examine whether ethnic socialization processes and its pathways to psychological adjustment vary across racial/ethnic groups. Six hundred and seventy African American, Latino American and Asian American young adults between 17 and 22 years of age were recruited from state universities to complete an online study. Results indicated that enculturation was associated with better psychological adjustment whereas racialization was associated with poorer psychological adjustment. Trait optimism and pessimism were found to be mediators of these relationships, such that higher levels of enculturation were associated with higher levels of optimism and lower levels of pessimism, which in turn were associated with lower levels of psychological symptoms. Higher levels of family engagement in the racialization process of racial mistrust were associated with higher levels of pessimism and lower levels of optimism, which in turn were associated with higher levels of psychological symptoms. Intergroup attributions were related to enculturation and racialization in expected ways but were generally not related to adjustment, so ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation did not mediate the associations of interest. Although there were mean racial/ethnic differences in ethnic socialization processes, multiple group analyses revealed that the associations with adjustment generally did not vary across groups. Conclusions highlight potential pathways between family ethnic socialization and psychological adjustment in ethnic minority young adults. Emphasizing the strengths and values of one's ethnic group may bolster psychological well-being whereas an overemphasis on discriminatory experiences and racial barriers may confer risk. However, alternative interpretations of the data are considered in light of study limitations. Finally, in the context of previous mixed findings on racialization, additional research is warranted to identify the conditions and contexts under which racialization may be associated with positive versus negative outcomes.