PREVIOUS Projects

* graduate student author, # undergraduate student author

cultural experiences of ethnically-racially diverse emerging adult college students

This project was part of the Spit for Science Project, which is a university-wide study examines the genetic and environmental factors related to college students’ outcomes. The EMPOWER Youth Lab added measures to the larger study to better understand how cultural factors (e.g., ethnic-racial identity and discrimination) play a role in ethnic-racially diverse college students’ experiences and outcomes. Select publications from this initiative:

  • *Elias, M. J., *DeLaney, E. N., Williams, C. D., #Hawa, S., *Walker, C. J., Lozada, F. T., Su, J., The Spit for Science Working Group, & Dick, D. M. (2022). Cultural socialization and ethnic-racial identity mediated by positive and negative conversations about race: Exploring differences among Asian American, African American, Latinx, Multiracial, & White students. Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 22(4), 282-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2021.1999815

  • *DeLaney, E. N., Williams, C. D., Jones, S. C. T., Corley, N., Lozada, F. T., *Walker, C. J., Spit for Science Working Group, & Dick, D. M. (2022). Black college students’ ethnic-racial identity and academic achievement: Examining mental health and racial discrimination as moderators. Journal of Black Psychology, 48(1), 100-129. https://doi.org/10.1177/00957984211034268

  • *Walker, C., J., Williams, C. D., Cage, J., *DeLaney, E. N., Lozada, F. T., the Spit for Science Working Group, & Dick, D. M. (2022). Associations between ethnic-racial identity and alcohol problems among diverse emerging adults. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 21(2), 638-661. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332640.2020.1793865

  • *Riley, T. N., *DeLaney, E., *Brown, D., Lozada, F. T., Williams, C. D., The Spit for Science Working Group, & Dick, D. M. (2021). The associations between African American emerging adults’ racial discrimination and civic engagement via emotion regulation. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 27(2), 169-175. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000335

A Lifespan Conceptual Model of Ethnic-Racial Identity

In ethnic-racial identity research, there has been more attention focused on adolescents, with less on young children, and no bridge merging work in different developmental periods. This has created limitations in theory and measurement of components of ethnic-racial identity. Funded by the National Science Foundation, several ERI scholars formed a working group to conceptualize a lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity. Publications from this initiative:

  • Williams, C. D., Byrd, C. M., Quintana, S. M., *Anicama, C., Kiang, L., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Calzada, E. J., Pabón Gautier, M. C., *Ejesi, K., *Tuitt, N. R., *Martinez-Fuentes, S., *White, L., Marks, A. K., Rogers, L. O., & Whitesell, N. (2020). A lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity. Research in Human Development, 17(2-3), 99-129. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2020.1831882

  • Marks, A. K., Calzada, E., Kiang, L., Pabón Gautier, M. C., *Martinez-Fuentes, S., *Tuitt, N. R., *Ejesi, K., Rogers, L. O., Williams, C. D., & Umaña-Taylor, A. (2020). Applying the lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity: Exploring affect, behavior, and cognition to promote well-being. Research in Human Development, 17(2-3), 154-176. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2020.1854607

  • Rogers, L. O., Kiang, L., *White, L., Calzada, E. J., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Byrd, C. M., Williams, C. D., Marks, A., & Whitesell, N. A. (2020). Persistent concerns: Questions for research on ethnic-racial identity development. Research in Human Development, 17(2-3), 130-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427609.2020.183188

Ancestry DNA, Ethnic-racial identity, & cultural experiences

This was a collaborative study focused on genetic literacy, ancestry DNA, and ethnic-racial identity among emerging adult college students. Personalized, DNA-based ancestry testing is a popular aspect of direct-to-consumer genetic testing. While studies suggest that individuals of color make up a large portion of the personalized genetic testing market, the majority of research in this area has focused on individuals with European ancestry. The goal of the study was to investigate the impact of DNA ancestry testing on diverse individuals’ emotions/feelings related to receiving ancestral DNA results, cultural experiences, well-being, and ethnic-racial identity. Select publications from this initiative:

  • *DeLaney, E. N., Williams, C. D., *Elias, M. J., *Walker, C. J., Smith, T. H., Adkins, A., Lozada, F. T., & Dick, D. M. (in press). Racial discrimination and depressive symptoms mediated by conversations about race among students of color. Journal of American College Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1998071

  • Williams, C. D., Smith, T. H., Adkins, A., *Walker, C. J., *Santana, A., Lozada, F. T., Su, J., & Dick, D. M. (2021). Effects of receiving genetic ancestry results on emerging adults’ ethnic-racial identity affirmation. Emerging Adulthood, 9(4), 422-428. https://doi.org/10.1177/21676968211020880

This project was part of a larger Supporting MAMI (Mexican-origin Adolescent Mothers and their Infants) Project at Arizona State University that focused on developmental, cultural and family relationship factors among Mexican-origin teen mothers, their mother figures and their children across six years. In the last few years of the study, Dr. Williams was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to create measures to understand caregivers’ cultural socialization attitudes and behaviors with young children, and a series of tasks to examine five-year-old children’s ethnic-racial identity and cultural experiences. The lab continued disseminating findings from this project for several years. Select publications from this study:

Mexican Children’s Ethnic-Racial Identity

  • Williams, C. D., Lozada, F. T., Hood, K. B., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Jahromi, L. B. & Updegraff, K. A. (2022). Mexican-origin 5-year-old children’s ethnic-racial identity centrality and attitudes predicting social functioning. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 28(2), 158-170. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000511

  • Williams, C. D., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2021). Measuring Mexican-origin children’s ethnic-racial identity attitudes, centrality, and knowledge in early childhood. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 75, 101290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2021.101290

  • Williams, C. D., Bravo, D. Y, Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., Jahromi, L. B., *Martinez-Fuentes, S., & *Elias, M. J. (2020). Intergenerational transmission of cultural socialization and effects on young children’s developmental competencies among Mexican-origin families. Developmental Psychology, 56(2), 199–207. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000859

  • Derlan, C. L., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Updegraff, K. A., & Jahromi, L. B. (2017). Longitudinal relations among Mexican-origin mothers’ cultural characteristics, cultural socialization, and 5-year-old children’s ethnic-racial identification. Developmental Psychology, 53(11), 2078-2091. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000386

  • Derlan, C. L., Umaña-Taylor, A. J., Toomey, R. B., Jahromi, L. B, & Updegraff, K. A. (2016). Measuring cultural socialization attitudes and behaviors of Mexican-origin mothers with young children: A longitudinal investigation. Family Relations, 65, 477-489. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12196