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Socioemotional wellbeing of mixed race/ethnicity children in the UK and US: patterns and mechanisms

Socioemotional wellbeing of mixed race/ethnicity children in the UK and US: patterns and mechanisms
Socioemotional wellbeing of mixed race/ethnicity children in the UK and US: patterns and mechanisms
Existing literature suggests that mixed race/ethnicity children are more likely to experience poor socioemotional wellbeing in both the US and the UK, although the evidence is stronger in the US. It is suggested that this inequality may be a consequence of struggles with identity formation, more limited connections with racial/ethnic/cultural heritage, and increased risk of exposure to racism.

Using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (n = 13,734) and the US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (n ~ 6250), we examine differences in the socioemotional wellbeing of mixed and non-mixed 5/6 year old children in the UK and US and explore heterogeneity in outcomes across different mixed groups in both locations. We estimate a series of linear regressions to examine the contribution of factors that may explain any observed differences, including socio-economic and cultural factors, and examine the extent to which these processes vary across the two nations.

We find no evidence of greater risk for poor socioemotional wellbeing for mixed race/ethnicity children in both national contexts. We find that mixed race/ethnicity children experience socio-economic advantage compared to their non-mixed minority counterparts and that socio-economic advantage is protective for socioemotional wellbeing. Cultural factors do not contribute to differences in socioemotional wellbeing across mixed and non-mixed groups.

Our evidence suggests then that at age 5/6 there is no evidence of poorer socioemotional wellbeing for mixed race/ethnicity children in either the UK or the US. The contrast between our findings and some previous literature, which reports that mixed race/ethnicity children have poorer socioemotional wellbeing, may reflect changes in the meaning of mixed identities across periods and/or the developmental stage of the children we studied.
2352-8273
147-159
Nazroo, James
50039b59-7344-4620-9b58-cb002675956b
Zilanawala, Afshin
dddbeee8-798a-441c-bb79-f0d3908647dd
Chen, Meichu
3601294b-04cb-420b-870e-942afd605098
Bécares, Laia
dad996d5-3f9a-4275-ad72-97b990a36402
Davis-Kean, Pamela
861a6dc2-a2d4-490a-a05d-13edb75c427b
Jackson, James
4a665550-f10d-4a4c-9697-7f8421c57d77
Kelly, Yvonne
71c6a35e-28fa-4627-95a9-38fd1c656a22
Panico, Lidia
f7817975-4ddd-43a7-8aab-d4d5da80e8f5
Sacker, Amanda
3ca352e3-d8ee-472f-881d-9d9a9419efca
Nazroo, James
50039b59-7344-4620-9b58-cb002675956b
Zilanawala, Afshin
dddbeee8-798a-441c-bb79-f0d3908647dd
Chen, Meichu
3601294b-04cb-420b-870e-942afd605098
Bécares, Laia
dad996d5-3f9a-4275-ad72-97b990a36402
Davis-Kean, Pamela
861a6dc2-a2d4-490a-a05d-13edb75c427b
Jackson, James
4a665550-f10d-4a4c-9697-7f8421c57d77
Kelly, Yvonne
71c6a35e-28fa-4627-95a9-38fd1c656a22
Panico, Lidia
f7817975-4ddd-43a7-8aab-d4d5da80e8f5
Sacker, Amanda
3ca352e3-d8ee-472f-881d-9d9a9419efca

Nazroo, James, Zilanawala, Afshin, Chen, Meichu, Bécares, Laia, Davis-Kean, Pamela, Jackson, James, Kelly, Yvonne, Panico, Lidia and Sacker, Amanda (2018) Socioemotional wellbeing of mixed race/ethnicity children in the UK and US: patterns and mechanisms. SSM - Population Health, 5, 147-159. (doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.06.010).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Existing literature suggests that mixed race/ethnicity children are more likely to experience poor socioemotional wellbeing in both the US and the UK, although the evidence is stronger in the US. It is suggested that this inequality may be a consequence of struggles with identity formation, more limited connections with racial/ethnic/cultural heritage, and increased risk of exposure to racism.

Using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (n = 13,734) and the US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (n ~ 6250), we examine differences in the socioemotional wellbeing of mixed and non-mixed 5/6 year old children in the UK and US and explore heterogeneity in outcomes across different mixed groups in both locations. We estimate a series of linear regressions to examine the contribution of factors that may explain any observed differences, including socio-economic and cultural factors, and examine the extent to which these processes vary across the two nations.

We find no evidence of greater risk for poor socioemotional wellbeing for mixed race/ethnicity children in both national contexts. We find that mixed race/ethnicity children experience socio-economic advantage compared to their non-mixed minority counterparts and that socio-economic advantage is protective for socioemotional wellbeing. Cultural factors do not contribute to differences in socioemotional wellbeing across mixed and non-mixed groups.

Our evidence suggests then that at age 5/6 there is no evidence of poorer socioemotional wellbeing for mixed race/ethnicity children in either the UK or the US. The contrast between our findings and some previous literature, which reports that mixed race/ethnicity children have poorer socioemotional wellbeing, may reflect changes in the meaning of mixed identities across periods and/or the developmental stage of the children we studied.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 21 June 2018
Published date: 1 August 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 451360
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/451360
ISSN: 2352-8273
PURE UUID: 256765fa-aefc-477c-8d95-bc7ae3eff844
ORCID for Afshin Zilanawala: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1439-6128

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Date deposited: 22 Sep 2021 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:07

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Contributors

Author: James Nazroo
Author: Meichu Chen
Author: Laia Bécares
Author: Pamela Davis-Kean
Author: James Jackson
Author: Yvonne Kelly
Author: Lidia Panico
Author: Amanda Sacker

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