School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB # 3550, 325 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3550, USA,
J Youth Adolesc. 2014 Mar;43(3):343-55. doi: 10.1007/s10964-013-9992-7. Epub 2013 Aug 9.
Mental health functioning in American Indian youth is an understudied topic. Given the increased rates of depression and anxiety in this population, further research is needed. Using multiple group structural equation modeling, the current study illuminates the effect of ethnic identity on anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and externalizing behavior in a group of Lumbee adolescents and a group of Caucasian, African American, and Latino/Hispanic adolescents. This study examined two possible pathways (i.e., future optimism and self-esteem) through which ethnic identity is associated with adolescent mental health. The sample (N = 4,714) is 28.53% American Indian (Lumbee) and 51.38% female. The study findings indicate that self-esteem significantly mediated the relationships between ethnic identity and anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, and externalizing behavior for all racial/ethnic groups (i.e., the total sample). Future optimism significantly mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and externalizing behavior for all racial/ethnic groups and was a significant mediator between ethnic identity and depressive symptoms for American Indian youth only. Fostering ethnic identity in all youth serves to enhance mental health functioning, but is especially important for American Indian youth due to the collective nature of their culture.
美国印第安青年的心理健康功能是一个研究不足的课题。鉴于该人群中抑郁和焦虑的发生率增加，需要进一步研究。本研究采用多群组结构方程模型，探讨了在一群卢比奥青少年和一群白种人、非裔美国人、拉丁裔/西班牙裔青少年中，种族认同对焦虑症状、抑郁症状和外化行为的影响。本研究考察了两种可能的途径（即未来乐观和自尊），通过这些途径，种族认同与青少年心理健康相关。该样本（N=4714）中 28.53%为美国印第安人（卢比奥），51.38%为女性。研究结果表明，自尊在所有种族/族裔群体（即总样本）中显著中介了种族认同与焦虑症状、抑郁症状和外化行为之间的关系。未来乐观在所有种族/族裔群体中显著中介了种族认同与外化行为之间的关系，并且仅对美国印第安青年而言，是种族认同与抑郁症状之间的重要中介。在所有年轻人中培养种族认同有助于增强心理健康功能，但对美国印第安青年尤为重要，因为他们的文化具有集体性质。
