Ethnic-racial identity latent profiles protect against racial discrimination in Black American adults.

This study examined how ethnic-racial identity (ERI) profiles moderate the relationship between racial discrimination and mental health among Black American adults. Black American adults ( = 247) recruited from a community-based sample completed self-report measures of ERI, racial discrimination, depression, psychological distress, and emotional well-being. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four distinct ERI profiles, corresponding to the ERI status theorized in prior research-Diffusion, Moratorium, and Achievement-and a fourth profile, which corresponded to an ERI status for High Achievement. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that greater racial discrimination was significantly related to worse mental health for all outcomes and that having an ERI profile of High Achievement was significantly associated with lower depression. Moderation analysis indicated that the ERI profile for Achievement protected against depression and psychological distress in the context of high racial discrimination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).