title: Personal Identity Development in Hispanic Immigrant Adolescents: Links with Positive Psychosocial Functioning, Depressive Symptoms, and Externalizing Problems.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, 33136, FL, USA. SSchwartz@med.miami.edu.
authors.forename: Seth J
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4238-9520
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90007, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, 33136, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meca
authors.affiliation: University of South Carolina, Columbia, 29208, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Elma I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Lorenzo-Blanco
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90007, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baezconde-Garbanati
authors.affiliation: Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St, Miami, 33199, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Miguel Ángel
authors.initials: MÁ
authors.lastname: Cano
authors.affiliation: Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, 79409, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Brandy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Piña-Watson
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, 33136, FL, USA.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szapocznik
authors.affiliation: Smith College, Northampton, 01063, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Byron L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zamboanga
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, 500 S State St, Ann Arbor, 48109, MI, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Córdova
authors.affiliation: University of Arizona, Tucson, 85721, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, 33136, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Tae Kyoung
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90007, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Soto
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University, 633 Clark St, Evanston, 60208, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Villamar
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1120 N.W. 14th Street, Suite 1083, Miami, 33136, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Karina M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lizzi
authors.affiliation: Barry University, 11300 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, 33161, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Sabrina E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Des Rosiers
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, 90007, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pattarroyo
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depressive symptoms; Hispanic; Identity and externalizing behavior problems; Immigrant; Personal identity; Self-esteem