Ethnic self-identification and psychological well-being among adolescents with European mothers and Arab fathers in Israel

This study examined the relationship between Arab and/or European ethnic identification and psychological well-being among 127 mixed-parentage Arab–European adolescents (of between 13 and 18 years) in Israel. The study found Arab or European ethnic identity to be significantly positively correlated with self-esteem and quality of life scores and significantly negatively correlated with anxiety and depression scores. Mixed-ethnic adolescents of this study showed a significantly higher degree of Arab ethnic identification than European, whilst Arab and European ethnic identifications emerged as being formed independently among study participants. This independence of Arab and European dimensions in adolescents’ patterns of identification disproves the theory that dual-background adolescents assimilate into their dominant heritage, instead providing a basis on which four distinct identity styles may be hypothesised.