Examining ethnic-racial identity development and adjustment among Colombian adolescents

The current study examined ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development and adjustment among Colombian adolescents (N = 462, Mage = 15.90, SD = 1.15, 47% female) from six schools in Medellín, Colombia. Findings from chain sequential mediation analyses with bias-corrected bootstrapping indicated that ERI exploration was positively associated with ERI resolution (β = 0.48), which was positively associated with global identity cohesion (β = 0.29); in turn, higher global identity cohesion was associated with higher academic engagement (β = 0.26), higher self-esteem (β = 0.50), lower GPA (β = −0.12), and lower depressive symptoms (β = −0.35). ERI exploration (β = 0.14) and resolution (β = 0.11) were each positively associated with other group orientation. Findings provide preliminary evidence for the promotive role of ERI among Colombian adolescents, supporting a conceptualization of ERI as a developmental competency.