Parental Discriminatory Experiences and Ethnic Minority Adolescent Adjustment: A Systematic Review of Family Perspectives

Abstract

Parental experiences of discrimination can impact ethnic minority adolescents’ developmental outcomes. To explicate this link, this study reviewed 30 articles in which the research sample includes target adolescents in the age range of 10 to 18, examining the effect of parental discriminatory experiences on adolescent adjustment and how family factors (parenting, racial socialization, family relationships, parental mental health, familism, family economic factors) function in the association between parental discriminatory experiences and adolescent outcomes. Findings reveal that parental discriminatory experiences can have a direct effect on adolescent adjustment, most notably on psychological adjustment. Moreover, family factors (especially parenting, racial socialization, family relationships, and parental mental health) often function as mediators, and different family factors may work sequentially (e.g., from parental mental health to parenting) in the pathway from parental discriminatory experiences to adolescent outcomes. A few studies focused on the moderating role of family factors. When functioning as moderators, familism may be a protective factor and low family income may be a risk factor for ethnic minority adolescents whose parents experience discrimination. Study findings suggest that interventions focused on family factors may be effective at reducing the negative impact of parental discriminatory experiences on adolescent outcomes.