The Moderating Role of Bicultural Self-identification on the Link Between Bicultural Facility and Youth Adjustment

Adolescents from immigrant and ethnoracially minoritized backgrounds often navigatecultural demands that span heritage and host contexts. Prior research has shown that biculturalfacility, youths’ perceived ability to manage and respond to multiple cultural demands, ispositively associated with academic and psychosocial adjustment. However, less is known aboutwhether these benefits vary depending on how adolescents define themselves culturally. Guidedby developmental and cognitive–developmental perspectives on biculturalism, the present studyexamined whether bicultural self-identification moderates the association between biculturalfacility and adjustment. The study used cross-sectional survey data collected in January 2020from an ethnoracially diverse sample of 10th- and 11th-grade students exposed to multiplecultural systems (N = 355). Hierarchical linear regression analyses tested main effects andinteractions predicting self-esteem and academic engagement. Bicultural facility was positivelyassociated with both outcomes. Importantly, bicultural self-identification moderated theseassociations: bicultural facility was linked to higher self-esteem and academic engagement onlyamong adolescents who self-identified as bicultural. These findings highlight the importance ofconsidering competence- and identity-based dimensions of bicultural development together whenexamining adolescent adjustment.