Culturally informed shift-&-persist: A higher-order factor model and prospective associations with discrimination and depressive symptoms

Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2021 Oct;27(4):638-648. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000361. Epub 2021 Jun 28.

Abstract

Objectives: Based on the conceptual overlap between shift-&-persist (S&P) and culturally based strategies (critical civic engagement [CCE] and spiritually based coping), this study tests whether associations between these three previously disparate strategies are attributable to the existence of a higher-order coping construct: culturally informed S&P.

Methods: Among 364 diverse minoritized youth (Mage = 18.79, 85.2% female), we tested for the existence of this higher-order factor through confirmatory factor analysis.

Results: We found theoretical and empirical support for the existence of a higher-order factor structure and for our higher-order factor-culturally informed S&P. Culturally informed S&P promotes fewer depressive symptoms as a main effect in addition to completely protecting against the negative impact of discrimination on depressive symptoms when culturally informed S&P is high.

Conclusions: The current study illustrates relations between three previously distinct coping strategies through their association with culturally informed S&P. Results highlight culturally informed S&P's promotive and protective effects in the face of ethnic-racial discrimination. Implications for subsequent study of culturally based coping are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adolescent
  • Depression*
  • Ethnicity
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Racism*
  • Social Identification