A Cross-Cultural Evaluation of Ethnic Identity Exploration and Commitment

We evaluated the unique contribution of the two subscales of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure Revised (MEIM-R), Exploration and Commitment, to mental and behavioral health outcomes among non-Hispanic White, ethnic minority, and mixed-race college students. Monoracial ethnic minority and mixed-race students reported higher Exploration scores in comparison to monoracial non-Hispanic White students. Monoracial ethnic minority students reported higher Commitment scores in comparison to monoracial non-Hispanic White and mixed-race students. Among the total sample, higher Exploration scores were associated with greater anxiety symptoms, suggesting that ethnic identity exploration may result in heightened levels of distress.