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 (n = 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. Public Significance Statement This study investigated the ability of exploration and commitment to one's ethnic-racial background to protect against the influence of racial discrimination on Black Americans' mental health. Four distinct ethnic-racial identity profiles were found and were differentiated by the extent to which individuals had explored the meaning of and were committed to their ethnic-racial background. Importantly, the profile corresponding to high exploration and high commitment-Achievement-was associated with lower depression and psychological distress when Black Americans reported experiencing greater racial discrimination.