Growing populations of emerging adults are demographically diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and immigration history in the United States and many attend community colleges. ...Yet, we still do not fully understand the developmental experiences of emerging adults in community colleges which mostly serve low-income, ethnically diverse immigrant-origin commuter populations. This descriptive mixed-method study examined the ways in which (N = 645) 18- to 25-year-old students at three community college campuses in the Northeast United States perceive adulthood and identify criteria for adulthood. Participants responded to measures of subjective sense of adulthood and responsibilities for family, community, and work, as well as provided an open-ended response to criteria for adulthood. Subjective sense of adulthood significantly increased with age. Participants listed responsibilities for themselves and others, independence, and role transitions as the three most important criteria characteristic of adulthood. Findings revealed that as community college students emerge into adulthood, they engage in multiple social responsibilities as they navigate community college. Furthermore, engaging with community responsibilities was associated with higher levels of subjective sense of adulthood. These data point to the possible existence of a sixth pillar of emerging adulthood, caring for others. Community colleges need to take into account the various social responsibilities present in students’ lives, not only as a competing responsibility on the road to degree attainment but as a resource to be drawn upon. We must find ways for these youth to contribute to both the institutional and economic structures that they find themselves embedded within.
We propose an integrative model for the adaptation of immigrant-origin children and youth that combines ecological with risk and resilience frameworks. Immigrant-origin children and youth are now, ...and will continue to be, a diverse and demographically important segment of all postindustrial nations' populations. Synthesizing evidence across psychological, educational, and sociological disciplines produced since the seminal publication of García Coll et al.'s (1996) model, along with significant events such as a global refugee crisis, a sociopolitical "deportation nation" climate, and heightened xenophobia, we provide a model for understanding the current conditions immigrant-origin children and youth encounter as they develop. This new integrative conceptual model for addressing positive frameworks for adaptation provides a culturally relevant approach for understanding both the risks and resilience of this population. The model was designed to inform practice and future research in the service of immigrant-origin children and youth.
Abstract This mixed methods study explored dual identification among Muslim-American emerging adults of immigrant origin. A closer look was taken at the relationship between American and Muslim ...identifications and how this relationship was influenced by experiences of discrimination, acculturative and religious practices, and whether it varied by gender. Data were gathered from 97 Muslim Americans (ages 18–25) who completed a survey and produced identity maps, a pictorial representation of hyphenated identities. The findings showed that young people found a way of allowing their Muslim and American identities to co-exist, and only a small minority of the participants seemed to experience identity conflict. While religiosity was the only predictor of Muslim identification, young peoples’ identification with mainstream United States culture was predicted by discrimination-related stress and acculturative practices. Gender moderated the relationship between Muslim and American identities in both survey measures and identity maps.
Social responsibilities are a central component of adolescents’ and young adults’ development, particularly for those from immigrant backgrounds. Social responsibility—a sense of responsibility and ...duty that extends beyond the self (Wray‐Lake & Syvertsen, 2011) includes both family obligations (Fuligni, 2001; 2007) and community engagement (Jensen, 2008; Lerner et al., 2002). What is often missing, however, are the ways in which social identities and social inequality shape young adult's development of social responsibilities. An intersectional perspective (Crenshaw, 1989; Cole, 2009) is particularly well‐suited to do so. Therefore, this manuscript discusses the ways in which an intersectional approach can augment studies of social responsibilities, highlights progress and challenges in the field, and outlines future directions. The majority of extant literature focuses on “single‐axis” (Bowleg, 2008) static demographic features such as ethnic group differences in values of social responsibilities. An intersectional approach could more meaningfully attend to the ways in which ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, SES, and immigration status come together to shape experiences of social responsibilities. In addition, taking an intersectional approach can provide the tools necessary to understand how social inequality shapes opportunities and necessity for social responsibilities. Future directions for the field are discussed including design, methodological, and analytic choices in conducting future work.
Growing populations of emerging adults are demographically diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and immigration history in the United States and many attend community colleges. ...Yet, we still do not fully understand the developmental experiences of emerging adults in community colleges which mostly serve low-income, ethnically diverse immigrant-origin commuter populations. This descriptive mixed-method study examined the ways in which (N = 645) 18- to 25-year-old students at three community college campuses in the Northeast United States perceive adulthood and identify criteria for adulthood. Participants responded to measures of subjective sense of adulthood and responsibilities for family, community, and work, as well as provided an open-ended response to criteria for adulthood. Subjective sense of adulthood significantly increased with age. Participants listed responsibilities for themselves and others, independence, and role transitions as the three most important criteria characteristic of adulthood. Findings revealed that as community college students emerge into adulthood, they engage in multiple social responsibilities as they navigate community college. Furthermore, engaging with community responsibilities was associated with higher levels of subjective sense of adulthood. These data point to the possible existence of a sixth pillar of emerging adulthood, caring for others. Community colleges need to take into account the various social responsibilities present in students’ lives, not only as a competing responsibility on the road to degree attainment but as a resource to be drawn upon. We must find ways for these youth to contribute to both the institutional and economic structures that they find themselves embedded within.
This study examined civic engagement in a sample of 790 undocumented Latinx undergraduates (aged 18–30). The relations between social supports (campus safe spaces and peer support) and civic ...engagement and whether a strong sense of undocumented identity mediated this relation were examined. Competing statistical models examined the role of participants' status (whether or not they received temporary protection from deportation with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals DACA) in this mediational process. Results revealed that having a strong identification with being undocumented mediated the role of social supports on civic engagement in the overall sample, and that this process was specifically important for those with DACA status. The intersection of policies such as DACA and the lived experiences of Latinx undocumented college students are discussed.
Objectives:
This qualitative investigation examined how Black emerging adults cope with their worst experiences of racism at multiple levels (individual, cultural, and institutional).
Methods:
A ...sample of 189 Black emerging adults (M
age = 19.34, 68.3% female) from a predominantly White institution completed an online questionnaire with an open-ended question regarding their worst experience of racism and how they coped. Responses to these questions were coded using deductive coding schemes based on established theory-Jones' (1997) tripartite model of racism and Harrell's (2000) typology of coping.
Results:
Results indicated that the majority of participants utilized active and inner-directed coping strategies in response to their worst experience. More participants responded to institutional-level racism with active rather than passive coping. There were no differences in proportions of participants who responded to individual- or cultural-level racism with active rather than passive coping. Similar proportions of participants also reported inner-directed versus outer-directed coping in response to individual-, cultural-, and institutional-level experiences.
Conclusions:
Implications for practice, policy, and programming to support the mental health of Black emerging adults are discussed.
Public Significance Statement
This study suggests that Black emerging adults take action to cope when they experience structural racism that blocks their access to resources and/or opportunities. Mental health practitioners could use clients' context-specific and gendered ways of coping with their worst experience of racism as a therapeutic tool, alongside their efforts to change macrolevel systems to ensure health equity.
In this article we share exploratory findings from a study that captures microaggressions (MAs) in vivo to shed light on how they occur in classrooms. These brief and commonplace indignities ...communicate derogatory slights and insults toward individuals of underrepresented status contributing to invalidating and hostile learning experiences. Our aim is to expand the ways in which we research and think about MAs in educational settings. Our data are drawn from structured observations of 60 diverse classrooms on three community college campuses. Our findings provide evidence that classroom MAs occur frequently—in nearly 30% of the observed community college classrooms. Although cultural/racial as well as gendered MAs were observed, the most frequent types of MAs were those that undermined the intelligence and competence of students. MAs were more likely to be delivered on campuses with the highest concentration of minority students and were most frequently delivered by instructors. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of these events for classroom climate and make recommendations for both future research and practice.
While the number of Asian Americans in the U.S. continues to grow and media use increases, misrepresentations of this group remain common in U.S. films. Examining representation of Asian Americans in ...the media is important because media can positively and negatively impact identity development, which is a fundamental cognitive, social, and developmental task related to understanding one's place in the social world. Misrepresentations can also shape intergroup interactions by influencing how out-group members view and interact with Asian Americans. This study investigated representations of Asian Americans in the media through a film analysis. Observations of the film analysis focused on identifying the presence of representation that either resisted or confirmed stereotypes portrayed by Asian characters in films over the past 25 years. Data were collected on the frequency and type of role (e.g., lead vs. supporting character), characteristics displayed, and the content of dialogue by Asian characters in the films. Results suggested that the frequency of lead roles increased over the last 25 years, with more diverse genres emerging in recent years. Stereotype-resisting representations were present (e.g., brave, loyal, mischievous), especially in more recent films. However, stereotype-confirming representations remained prevalent (e.g., emasculate, timid, nerdy), which affirms the historic trend of misrepresentation of Asian Americans in film. The discussion centers on how Asian American representations in media may affect identity development in Asian American adolescents and young adults and influence intergroup interactions. The authors conclude with recommendations for future research and implications for practice.
Psychological science has historically centered white, cisgender male experiences. Using predominantly quantitative, comparative methods and designs, this limited slice of humanity has been deemed ...normative and universal. The study of identity is one area in which diversity and minoritized experiences have increasingly been examined. Yet, this work remains largely single axis, focusing solely on race or gender, for instance. Intersectionality grounds identity in context, challenging single-axis approaches and problematizing inequitable research norms. In this systematic literature review, we examined the state of intersectional identity research in U.S. psychological science. We analyzed empirical studies published between 2005 and 2022 (N = 555) for how (methods/design) this research is conducted, what identities are examined (social categories/positionalities), and who (sample diversity) is studied. We found that 82% of studies used qualitative methods; race/ethnicity, gender, and sexuality were the most frequently studied identities, both in intersection with each other and with dozens of additional social categories; and adults, women, and racial/ethnic and sexual minorities were the most commonly represented populations. This review suggests that intersectional identity research centers individuals whose experiences have long been marginalized in psychology. We discuss how intersectionality offers a path toward more diverse and justice-oriented research in psychological science.
