Coping with Perceived Discrimination: Does Ethnic Identity Protect Mental Health?
Abstract
Using data (N = 2,109) from a large-scale epidemiological study of Filipino Americans, this study examines whether ethnic identity is linked to mental health and reduces the stress of discrimination. The strength of identification with an ethnic group is found to be directly associated with fewer depressive symptoms. In other words, having a sense of ethnic pride, involvement in ethinic practices, and cultural commitment to one's racial/ethnic group may protect mental health. Self-reports of racial/ethnic discrimination over a lifetime and everyday discrimination in the past month not due to race/ethnicity are associated with increased levels of depressive symptoms. Yet ethnic identity buffers the stress of racial/ethnic discrimination. This suggests that ethnic identity is a coping resource for racial/ethnic minorities that should not be overlooked. The strong link between ethnic identity and better mental health has implications for social-psychological theories on race/ethnicity and assimilation in the United States.
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Being part of a group (formal or informal) strengthens ethnic identification, which is associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and provides strong emotional, practical and social support.
“Being part of such a group, formal or informal, strengthens ethnic identification, which is associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms [44] and provides strong emotional, practical and social support.”
From A qualitative study of Filipina immigrants’ stress, distress and coping: the impact of their multiple, transnational roles as women (2017) · cites this paper as [44]
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- Authors
- Mossakowski, K. N.
- Affiliations
- Indiana University Bloomington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mossakowski, Krysia N.
- Venue
- Journal of Health and Social Behavior
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2003-09
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 318
- ISSN
- 0022-1465 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1980942241
- Cited by
- 793
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 36 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 74 · 2016: 52 · 2015: 43 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 41 · 2012: 60
- FWCI
- 28.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Health and Social Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA 098633)
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH 43331)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy
- Keywords
- ethnic identity, perceived discrimination, depressive symptoms, mental health, Filipino Americans, ethnic pride, cultural commitment, coping, racial and ethnic minorities, assimilation, everyday discrimination
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Depression, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Philippines, Prejudice, Social Identification, United States
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