Concordance Between Minoritized Status and Identity Importance: Relationship with Life Satisfaction and Depression
Open Access
Author:
Daas, Roua
Graduate Program:
Psychology
Degree:
Master of Science
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
July 19, 2024
Committee Members:
Jose Angel Soto, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Chardée A. Galan, Committee Member Kristin Buss, Program Head/Chair Theresa K Vescio, Committee Member
Keywords:
minoritized populations life satisfaction depression concordance centrality
Abstract:
While individuals may claim several minoritized identities, the extent to which these identities are important to their self-concept can vary considerably. Whether or not individuals reflect a concordance between these aspects of their identity (claiming a specific minoritized status(es) and indicating that same status(es) as important to how one views themselves and/or how others view them), may have meaningful consequences for psychological outcomes. To test this notion, I examined differences in life satisfaction and depression among those with concordant/discordant identities across two different studies with racially, sexually, and gender minoritized participants (NStudy1a = 419, NStudy1b = 303). Results found that racially minoritized individuals with concordant identities have greater life satisfaction than those with discordant identities, while sexually minoritized, as well as sexually and gender minoritized individuals with concordant identities, have worse life satisfaction and are more depression than those with discordant identities. This study offers initial evidence of the role that identity concordance can play in life satisfaction and depression outcomes as well as how this role may differ depending on whether the stigmatized identities are concealable (sexually and gender minoritized individuals) versus non-concealable (racially minoritized individuals).