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11:25 a.m., Nov. 22, 2002--How children develop racial identity and the effect of that identity upon them as they grow up is the focus of a new study by Eun Rhee, assistant professor of psychology. The project, “Racial Identity and Psychosocial Consequences,” has received a five-year grant of $675,434 from the National Institute of Mental Health.
“It is important to understand how racial identity evolves during childhood and its effect on children’s self-evaluation, group esteem and mental health and how children of color cope with perceived discrimination,” Rhee said.
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| Eun Rhee, assistant professor of psychology: “It is important to understand how racial identity evolves … and how children of color cope with perceived discrimination.” |
“Athough perceived discrimination is said to have adverse effects on children of color, there has not been much research about children, especially Asian-American children, in this area, ” she said.
“This is especially important as the United States faces major demographic changes, “ Rhee said. “By the year 2050, it is predicted that children of color—African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, Native Americans—will be the majority. Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S.”
Rhee said she plans to conduct a pilot study of approximately 100 children, 7 to 11, representing African Americans, Asian Americans and white Americans, interviewing both children and their parents. The initial study will be followed by a larger project, involving approximately 360 children and their parents, who will be followed over four years.
“There are certain constancies that can’t be changed, such as gender, age and race, and our goal is to find out how children understand these constancies and how they view these, especially race, as they grow older. We want to find out how racial minority children perceive racial identity and racial discrimination and how they cope with it.
“Parents play a major role in children’s lives so it is important to interview them and study their perceptions of discrimination and beliefs about racial groups and what concepts and support they give their children. For example, some parents may endorse egalitarianism, others may try to prepare their children for discrimination and others may foster racial pride,” Rhee said.
By the time children enter school, most have a sense of their own and others’ racial identity. There is some question as to whether a strong identification with one’s racial group has adverse effects, such as low self-esteem, or whether it is protective and is linked to better mental health, according to Rhee.
Interviewers will have sessions with each child and give them choices on what is important to them, such as how they choose their friends, how they feel about themselves in terms of their gender and race, how they perceive others in terms of race and how children of color negotiate two cultures—the mainstream culture and their own. Similar interviews will be held with parents, and follow-up interviews each year are planned.
“Our goal is to discover how children view themselves and their racial group and how their perceptions and coping strategies change as they mature so that we can identify pathways to positive growth,” Rhee said.
Rhee, who joined the UD faculty in 1998, is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received her master’s and doctoral degrees from New York University.
Article by Sue Moncure
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