UC Irvine

For individuals identifying with a marginalized group, having a high ethnic identity can be protective against the negative effects of discrimination. It is not yet clear, however, whether this protection extends to members of groups with multiple marginalized identities. This study used data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) Sociocultural Ancillary Study (N = 183) to test whether ethnic identity buffered the adverse effects of discrimination on three types of perceived stress for Afro-Latinos living in the U.S. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that ethnic identity did not moderate the association of discrimination with general perceived stress nor extrafamilial stress for this sample. However, a moderation effect was observed for the association of discrimination with intrafamilial stress [b =-0.63; t(182)=-2.09, CIb (-1.22, -0.03), p=.038]. Specifically, when relatively low or average levels of ethnic identity were endorsed, discrimination positively predicted intrafamilial stress; when ethnic identity was high, discrimination did not significantly predict intrafamilial stress. These results indicate that a high ethnic identity can be protective for Afro-Latinos living in the U.S. and highlight the importance of better understanding how individuals with multiple marginalized identities can develop a high ethnic identity in the face of discrimination.