Racial/ethnic self-identification can vary over time and place, in other words, some adolescents of mixed ancestry report different single-race or mixed-race identifications at different times and in different situations. The beginnings of theoretical models of mixed-racial/ethnic identity development exist but none have been empirically validated with large samples drawn from diverse regions of the U.S. nor have they been able to account for this fluidity/variability in self-identification. Also, a growing body of evidence suggests that some mixed-ancestry adolescents (variously defined) have poorer social adjustment outcomes — such as depression, substance use, and health problems — than their single-race-reporting peers, but whether they also have particular strengths has not been systematically studied. For these reasons, an examination of the development of mixed-ancestry identity, its precursors, and its sequelae is timely. The significance of this study lies in the new conceptual approach to measuring mixed-ancestry identification among adolescents and also in our use of new statistical tools, which will assess both the strengths and vulnerabilities of mixed-ancestry youth. The measurement pilot will proceed in two phases. Initially, the total student body of several high schools will be asked to complete a screening survey. The next phase will be in-depth interviews with students whose responses to the screening survey indicate that they have the potential to identify themselves as having a mixed racial/ethnic identity. The outcome of the measurement pilot will inform a nationwide longitudinal study of mixed-ancestry identity development planned for the future.

The study is carried out by a diverse team of social scientists all of whom have experience with research on racial and ethnic minority populations. Sumru Erkut, Michelle Porche and Allison Tracy lead the team and they are joined by Heidie Vazquez Garcia, Jo H. Kim, and Ineke Ceder. The researchers employ Peony Fhagen-Smith’s Mixed Ancestry Racial/Ethnic Identity Development (MAREID) Model as the framework for the research. The team is assisted by an Advisory Board made up of prominent scholars in the fields of racial and ethnic studies and mixed ancestry: Ana Mari Cauce, William E. Cross, Jr., David R. Harris, Michael Omi, Kerry Ann Rockquemore, Maria P. P. Root, C. Matthew Snip, and Mary C. Waters.

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