A Phenomenological Study of Racial Identity Development Among Multiracial Emerging Adults with Mental Health Concerns

Background and Purpose: Emerging adulthood is a developmental phase during which racial identity often becomes salient for multiracial individuals. This salience can include identifying as monoracial (e.g., only Black), multiracial, or racially fluid. However, it is only recently in the United States that individuals have been able to identify as multiracial or racially fluid. Therefore, research in this area is sparse. Understanding this developmental process is particularly relevant to individuals with mental health conditions because a strong racial identity can be associated with positive mental health. To date, however, few studies have examined the racial identity development of multiracial individuals with mental health conditions. By addressing this gap in the literature, researchers can illuminate lived experiences that may be important to consider when practicing social work. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe racial identity development throughout childhood and emerging adulthood among multiracial individuals with mental health conditions.

Methods: This phenomenological study reported on data collected as part of a qualitative study that sought to understand multiracial emerging adults’ experience with mental health care. Participants were 12 emerging adults who self-identified as multiracial. Participants were interviewed for an average of one hour and six minutes. The interviews were transcribed and coded by trained graduate students. A codebook was developed through an iterative process by reviewing transcripts, memoing, and team discussions. The research team applied the codebook to the transcripts and subsequently analyzed the data using thematic analysis. Interrater reliability was examined using Nvivo Kappa coefficient.

Results: Participants identified three themes during childhood: closeness to a monoracial identity, repression of multiracial identity, and not meeting racial requirements. As an example of repressing multiracial identity, one participant shared, “I feel like we never had to talk about it...that kind of made it difficult for me to realize...I have multiple identities." As an example of not meeting racial requirements, a participant shared, “I feel oftentimes I had to pick or choose, or my mom didn't talk about even her racial background, so it made it difficult.”

During emerging adulthood, two themes were identified: shifting racial identity labels and acceptance of multiracial identity. As an example of shifting labels, one participant shared that people ask, "Do you identify as a person of color?" And I'll be, "Well, shit, it's a complicated question...It's all these preliminaries that depend on who I'm talking to and what the context is like." Concerning acceptance of one’s identity, a participant shared, "As I've gotten older, I've been more embracive of that side...I'm pretty comfortable with embracing and identifying as multiracial.” Part of this acceptance was attributed to the current social environment in the United States. As one participant shared, “[I]t's really good that we're going into being able to accept other mixed couples...or mixed families."

Conclusions and Implications: Social workers may need to consider the shifting racial identity among multiracial individuals throughout childhood and emerging adulthood. The absence of this consideration may result in an ineffective understanding of clients’ lived experiences, which may cause harm.