Biracial, Black, and Proud: Can Racial Pride Protect Biracial-Black Young People From Identity Invalidation and Depressive Symptoms?

A growing body of theory and research suggests that racial identity invalidation (RII)-the active denial of a person's racial identity and/or belonging to the racial group(s) they identify with-may play an important role in the mental health problems that biracial Black-White youth face. However, research has yet to explore this empirically. The purpose of this study was to address this gap by examining whether RII was associated with depressive symptoms among biracial Black-White adolescents and emerging adults (N = 713; 61% male; M = 18.40, SD = 3.71). From an intersectional and strengths-based lens, we also explore if (a) biracial and Black pride individually or collectively moderate the relationship between RII and depressive symptoms and (b) if any of these associations differ by gender. The analyses included two hierarchical linear regressions (one for girls and one for boys) that were conducted using Model 3 of the PROCESS Macro in SPSS. The results indicated that RII was associated with depression symptoms for all participants. We also found several significant interaction effects illustrating that biracial and Black pride both played a meaningful role in the relationship between RII and the mental health of the participants, but different patterns emerged for girls and boys. Collectively, the results position RII as a salient risk factor for biracial Black-White adolescents and emerging adults while also illuminating the promotive and protective power of racial pride. The implications for research and practice are discussed.