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Essay on Racial and Ethnic Families
Racial and ethnic identity development models are briefly reviewed, the case is conceptualized, and practice suggestions are discussed. The content contained herein touches on other concepts from the multicultural counseling literature such as bicultural competence and racial and ethnic salience. Ethnic identity has been found to be important for the psychological well-being of ethnic and racial minorities, according to research conducted over the last 15 years. Using empirical research, investigators have demonstrated the relationship between racial identity and mental health among African American adolescents and young adults.
Another way of examining the protective effect of ethnic identity is by applying an interactive framework. Some researchers have examined the potential of ethnic identity to moderate the relationship between risk factors and drug use by buffering against psychobehavioral risks or by enhancing psychobehavioral protective factors. The findings are not unanimous; however, there is moderate support for the protective function of ethnic identity for ethnic and racial minority adolescents.
The United States is rapidly becoming a more multicultural society. Although minority groups are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, minorities are not pursuing careers in health care professions in the same proportions. The literature suggests that increasing the number of minorities in the health care professions will increase access to health care for minority populations and help non-minority health care professionals become more aware of and sensitive to minority issues. The results reported here are part of a larger national survey that examined the commitment of entry-level dental hygiene programs to ethnic/racial diversity. The United States is rapidly becoming a more multicultural society. Individuals of different racial and ethnic background are no longer characterized by a "melting pot" identity, nor are they assimilating into the mainstream Anglo-American society. These individuals are retaining their ethnic identity as well as their cultural traditions and values......
