The relationship between ethnic identity and problem behavior in adolescent college population

The rapidly increasing diversity of American society has brought scholarly attention to issues of ethnic identity. One area of attention is the impact of ethnic identity on psychological adjustment in general and of adolescents in particular. Scholars are also interested in the relationship between ethnic identity as a form of group identity and personal identity. Two hundred-sixty-nine college students from two colleges were studied to explore the relationship between their level of ethnic identity, their susceptibility to problem behavior and their self images. The newly created Personal Identity Inventory (PII) and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) were utilized as measurements of the level of ethnic identity. The newly created Adolescent Problem Behavior Inventory (APBI) tapped the subjects' problem behavior, and the Offer Self Image questionnaire (OSIQ) was used to measure self image. An inverse relationship was found between level of ethnic identity and several problem behaviors: the higher the level of ethnic identity is, the lower the level of problem behavior is (alcohol use, cigarette smoking, school problems, and sexual precocity). Two problem behaviors, marijuana use and delinquency, were not correlated with ethnic identity. Level of self concept was not related to problem behavior. Group identity, as reflected in ethnic identity and personal identity, as reflected in self image, showed a moderate inverse relationship. It seems that, for some adolescents, ethnic identity is a salient factor in their identity formation process, and allows them to be less susceptible to problem behavior.