Identity‐based victimization and identity coherence among minoritized adolescents in the Netherlands: The role of ethnic identity, school belonging, and family emotional support

Abstract

This cross‐sectional study examined how identity‐based victimization was associated with adolescents' sense of identity coherence in the Dutch sociocultural context. Guided by an integrated Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) and resilience‐informed framework, we examined whether perceived discrimination and hate crime victimization were directly associated with identity coherence, whether these associations were indirect through ethnic identity achievement and school belonging, and whether family emotional support moderated the direct associations. Using data from 1032 adolescents with a migration background (ages 13–18; 52.8% female) from the Dutch fourth wave of the International Self‐Report Delinquency study, we estimated an observed‐variable path model within the SEM framework. Neither perceived discrimination nor hate crime victimization was directly associated with identity coherence. Instead, two distinct indirect patterns emerged, running in opposite directions. Perceived discrimination was indirectly associated with higher identity coherence through higher ethnic identity achievement. Hate crime victimization was indirectly associated with lower identity coherence through lower school belonging, which showed the strongest positive association with identity coherence. Family emotional support did not moderate the direct associations between identity‐based victimization and identity coherence. Although the cross‐sectional design precludes conclusions about temporal ordering or causal processes, the results indicate that different forms of identity‐based victimization relate to adolescents' identity coherence through different proximal resources. These findings contribute to a limited European evidence base on identity‐based victimization and identity coherence among minoritized adolescents.