Psychosocial Development in Biracial Adolescents

Society has seen an increase in the births of biracial children, according to Ohio researchers Raushanah Hud-Aleem, Jacqueline Countryman and Paulette Gillig in a study published in the journal, "Psychiatry (Edgemont, Pa.)," in 2008. Self-identifying as a mixed race individual may have some effect on the psychosocial development of these children -- or the development along individual thought, social and behavioral lines. It is important for parents to understand what areas their child may be struggling with to intervene appropriately.

  1. Friendship Choices

    • Biracial adolescents may have social experiences similar to mono race children, particularly in the realm of friendships, according to a University of Pennsylvania study published in "Social Science Research" in 2007. This study found that while biracial Native Americans show signs of sticking to other mixed race friendships, all other mixed race adolescents showed friendship patterns similar to their single race counterparts and tended to be divided along black and white lines. This challenges previous theories that mixed race children would somehow be cast out or forced to befriend only other mixed race children. While the friends teenagers end up with may be based on which group they identify most strongly with, their experiences in this area of psychosocial development seem to mirror those of single race children.

    Risky Behaviors

    • Biracial teenagers may have a higher risk for behavioral and health issues, according to North Carolina research published in the "American Journal of Public Health" in 2003. This study found that students who identified as more than one race had more health risks, lowered school performance and higher rates of risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking. Because researchers found these results across various racial combinations, they note that stress related to identity conflict is one possible explanation for theses results, though their research did not test this directly.

    Identity Development

    • However, emotional and behavioral issues are not just a fact of life for biracial adolescents, according to the study by Hud-Aleem and associates. The researchers found that when children are raised in nurturing homes, they are able to find a more cohesive sense of identity than those who are raised in homes where parents are emotionally unavailable. This nurturing home environment may be even more critical for biracial adolescents, due to negative reactions from others in society that may affect well-being.

    Treatment

    • Due to the increasing number of biracial children and the way identity formation may be different in this population, Hud-Aleem and associates go one step further in their treatment recommendations for biracial adolescents. They report that preventing the issues to begin with -- through nurturing and emotionally open home environments -- is the most effective. If identity confusion is already present, teaching parents how to encourage healthy identity formation -- possibly through open discussion of the issues, addressing concerns regarding each part of the child's heritage, improving self-esteem or confronting social stigma or bullying -- is important for biracial adolescents, even if therapies address other concerns as well. By being aware of the issues that may come about in their biracial teenager, parents can be better equipped to intervene appropriately.

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