Journal of Youth and Adolescence
Volume 46, Issue 4, 2017, Pages 898-913

Personal identity development in hispanic immigrant adolescents: Links with positive psychosocial functioning, depressive symptoms, and externalizing problems (Article)

Schwartz S.J.* , Unger J.B. , Meca A. , Lorenzo-Blanco E.I. , Baezconde-Garbanati L. , Cano M.Á. , Piña-Watson B. , Szapocznik J. , Zamboanga B.L. , Córdova D. , Romero A.J. , Lee T.K. , Soto D.W. , Villamar J.A. , Lizzi K.M. , Des Rosiers S.E. , Pattarroyo M.
  • a Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, FL 33136, United States
  • b University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States
  • c Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, FL 33136, United States
  • d University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States
  • e University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States
  • f Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, FL 33199, United States
  • g Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409, United States
  • h Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, FL 33136, United States
  • i Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States
  • j University of Michigan, 500 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
  • k University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, United States
  • l Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, FL 33136, United States
  • m University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States
  • n Northwestern University, 633 Clark St, Evanston, IL 60208, United States
  • o Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, FL 33136, United States
  • p Barry University, 11300 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33161, United States
  • q University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States

Abstract

The present study was designed to examine trajectories of personal identity coherence and confusion among Hispanic recent-immigrant adolescents, as well as the effects of these trajectories on psychosocial and risk-taking outcomes. Personal identity is extremely important in anchoring young immigrants during a time of acute cultural change. A sample of 302 recently immigrated (5 years or less in the United States at baseline) Hispanic adolescents (Mage = 14.51 years at baseline; SD = 0.88 years, range 14–17) from Miami and Los Angeles (47 % girls) completed measures of personal identity coherence and confusion at the first five waves of a six-wave longitudinal study; and reported on positive psychosocial functioning, depressive symptoms, and externalizing problems at baseline and at Time 6. Results indicated that identity coherence increased linearly across time, but that there were no significant changes in confusion over time and no individual differences in confusion trajectories. Higher baseline levels of, and improvements in, coherence predicted higher levels of self-esteem, optimism, and prosocial behavior at the final study timepoint. Higher baseline levels of confusion predicted lower self-esteem, greater depressive symptoms, more aggressive behavior, and more rule breaking at the final study timepoint. These results are discussed in terms of the importance of personal identity for Hispanic immigrant adolescents, and in terms of implications for intervention. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016.

Author Keywords

Hispanic Depressive symptoms Self-esteem Immigrant Identity and externalizing behavior problems Personal identity

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84997050448&doi=10.1007%2fs10964-016-0615-y&partnerID=40&md5=1324be9d186983b97e813cf094041b88
DOI: 10.1007/s10964-016-0615-y
ISSN: 00472891
Cited by: 10
Original Language: English