Daily levels of perceived context of reception and self-esteem among U.S. Latine university students: The moderating role of normative identity styles

ABSTRACT

Latine university students represent 21.7% of the U.S. undergraduate student body, yet limited research explores their experiences with cultural stressors, self-esteem, and identity. This study examines the relationship between daily self-esteem and negative context of reception, moderated by two identity processes: normative identity style to host society and country of origin. Using multilevel models, we found that perceived negative context of reception one day predicts lower self-esteem the next day. Normative identity style to country of origin significantly moderated this relationship, exacerbating the impact, while normative style to host society showed no significant effect. These findings highlight the importance of identity processes in understanding self-esteem fluctuations among Latine students.

KEYWORDS:

• Latine students
• university students
• cultural stress
• self-esteem
• identity styles

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [author initials], upon reasonable request.

Notes

1. For the purpose of this study and to use inclusive and culturally appropriate language, we will use the term Latine to refer to this population. The term Latine comes from a Latin American movement toward inclusivity in the Spanish language, to account for individuals of all gender identities and orientations. The term Latine was created by and for Spanish speakers, making it a more culturally appropriate term for the population under study.