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Psychological Variables as Predictors of Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Among Minority and Immigrant Adolescents 1
Author(s) -
Phinney Jean S.,
Madden Tanya,
Santos Lorena J.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1998.tb01661.x
Subject(s) - psychology , ethnic group , vietnamese , anxiety , competence (human resources) , perception , socioeconomic status , immigration , social psychology , path analysis (statistics) , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , demography , population , linguistics , statistics , mathematics , archaeology , neuroscience , psychiatry , sociology , anthropology , history , philosophy
The occurrence of discrimination in the real world is difficult to determine objectively, as it is defined in part by intentions. The perception of discrimination may therefore be influenced by one's interpretation of the intentions of others. In order to examine psychological characteristics that influence the perception of ethnic discrimination, 164 Armenian, Mexican American, and Vietnamese adolescents completed measures of perceived discrimination (PD), self‐esteem, mastery, depression/anxiety, intergroup competence, and ethnic identity, as well as demographic variables. A path analysis showed that higher depression/anxiety scores and lower intergroup competence predicted more PD; depression/anxiety and intergroup competence were in turn predicted by self‐esteem and mastery, respectively. Birthplace and socioeconomic status had an indirect effect on PD, via intergroup competence. The results suggest the importance of psychological variables in the perception of discrimination.