Neighborhood Ethnic Composition and Perceived Discrimination Among Young Adult Latina/os: The Mediating Role of Ethnic Centrality. Issue 3 (August 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Camacho, Gabriel; Allen, Aerielle M.; Quinn, Diane M.
• Is Part Of: Hispanic journal of behavioral sciences. Volume 41:Issue 3(2019)
• Page Start: 331
• Page End: 343
• Publication Date: 2019-08
• Subjects: Latina/os -- neighborhood ethnic composition -- ethnic centrality -- perceived discrimination; Hispanic Americans -- Mental health -- Periodicals; Hispanic Americans -- Psychology -- Periodicals; 300
• DOI: 10.1177/0739986319851248
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0739-9863

Abstract

This study examines whether neighborhood ethnic composition (i.e., percentage of Latina/os residing in a given residential community) predicts greater perceived experiences of ethnic discrimination and whether this direct effect is mediated by ethnic centrality (i.e., perceived importance of ethnicity for one's identity). In a cross-sectional study, 237 self-identified young adult Latina/os reported their five-digit zip codes and sociodemographic information and completed measures of ethnic centrality and perceived ethnic discrimination. A mediation analysis revealed that neighborhood ethnic composition indirectly predicted perceived ethnic discrimination through its effect on ethnic centrality even when accounting for known sociodemographic predictors of perceived discrimination, b = 0.28, SE = .18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [0.03, 0.71]. These results provide initial evidence that where young adult Latina/os live and grow up impacts the extent to which they find their ethnicity to be an essential part of their identity and, consequently, their perceived frequency of experiencing ethnic discrimination.