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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 ethnic 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.
A growing sociological literature indicates that perceived discrimination is an acute and chronic Stressor linked to mental and physical health problems (Amaro, Russo, and Johnson 1987; Finch, Kolody, and Vega 2000; Kessler, Mickelson, and Williams 1999; Krieger 1999, 1990; Krieger and Sidney 1996; Noh et al. 1999; Ren, Amick, and Williams 1999; Schulz et al. 2000; Williams et al. 1997). Much of this literature has examined the health effects of discrimination with black-white comparisons at the group level, but it is equally important to probe further into the demographic and cultural heterogeneity within a racial/ethnic group (Brown et al. 1999; Neighbors 1990). Cultural differences are often inferred from studies that compare health between racial/ethnic groups, but such potential differences are rarely measured directly (Agbayani-Siewert, Takeuchi, and Pangan 1999). Within a racial/ethnic group, variation may exist because members do not necessarily share the same levels of ethnic identity. Ethnic identification involves a sense of ethnic pride, involvement in ethnic practices, and cultural commitment to one's racial/ethnic group (Phinney 1991). In order to better understand the link between race/ethnicity and mental health, this paper focuses on ethnic identity among Filipino Americans, explores the mental health effects of that identity, and examines how it influences one's ability to cope with discrimination.
From a social-psychological perspective, ethnic identity is an aspect of the racial/ethnic minority self-concept (Jackson and Lassiter 2001)....