Examining the Links and Complexity of Cultural-Developmental Tasks: Ethnic-Racial Identity and Bicultural Competence Among U.S. Latine Samples

Abstract

The first study examined how ethnic-racial identity (ERI) predicted daily bicultural competence. Some work has examined how ERI predicts bicultural competence over time; however, how ERI is linked to daily bicultural competence, which reflects micro-level changes, has yet to be examined. The study had two aims. The first aim assessed daily variability in bicultural comfort and advantages using within-person standard deviations. The results suggested that, on average, there was modest daily variability in bicultural comfort and advantages but ranged from minor to major changes in youth’s daily scores. Using multilevel model regressions, the second aim linked ERI components (affirmation, exploration, and resolution) to daily bicultural comfort and advantages, controlling for age and gender. The results suggested that ERI did not predict daily bicultural comfort or advantages. However, gender was a significant covariate of daily bicultural comfort, indicating that boys report higher daily bicultural comfort than girls and gender minority youth. Understanding what predicts the minor to major changes in daily bicultural competence, such as the influence of cultural environments and inter- and intrapersonal factors, may inform interventions leveraging culture for U.S. Latine youth.The second study investigated patterns of bicultural competence dimensions among U.S. Latine adolescents and young adults. It has been proposed that bicultural competence dimensions may develop separately or at distinct levels across developmental periods, but research has yet to explore this notion. Also, there is a need to understand how the pattern of these dimensions may benefit the well-being of U.S. Latine youth. The study had two aims. Using latent profile analysis, the first aim examined configurations (profiles) of bicultural competence dimensions (comfort, facility, advantages) among a Latine adolescent and a young adult sample. The results suggested that four similar profiles, with differing proportions, emerged across both samples. The largest to smallest adolescent profiles were Sufficient, Ambivalent-Emerging, Optimal, and Underdeveloped-Idealized. The largest to smallest profiles for young adults were Ambivalent-Emerging, Sufficient, Optimal, and Underdeveloped-Practical. The Bolck–Croon–Hagenaars weighting regression approach was used to examine how demographic characteristics predicted the likelihood of being in a profile. Gender uniquely predicted profile membership likelihood, where adolescent girls and gender diverse youth and young adult men were likelier to be in Ambivalent-Emerging profiles than in Sufficient profiles. Immigrant generation status also predicted profile membership. Compared to the Sufficient profiles, adolescents in non-immigrant families were likelier to be in the Ambivalent-Emerging profile, and young adults in non-immigrant families were likelier in the Underdeveloped-Practical profile. The profiles also had differences in psychosocial adjustment. In adolescents and young adults, those in the Optimal profile reported the fewest anxiety and depressive symptoms. Recognizing developmental differences and correlates of bicultural competence patterns will broaden the field’s knowledge of the cultural strengths of U.S. Latine adolescents. This dissertation contributes to the field's breadth of U.S. Latine youth development by providing new understandings of well-established and emerging constructs in cultural-developmental research. First, the dissertation studies highlight the influence of gender and how it may function differently at the intersection of context and development. Next, this dissertation has implications for fostering and ensuring that U.S. Latine youth thrive by highlighting the salience of ERI and bicultural competence in capturing a holistic picture of youth’s positive development via programmatic efforts. Lastly, the dissertation studies showcase diverse methodologies that future studies should utilize to contribute to the growing knowledge of ERI and bicultural competence and to continue exploring how they may be intertwined.