The interactive effects of Indigenous identity and lateral violence on youth adjustment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

ObjectivesLateral violence is the potential for members of a group to engage in practices that are harmful to other members of their own group. Evidence indicates that lateral violence can affect Aboriginal children's social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB); however, little is known about the potential for ethnic-racial identity (ERI) to protect against harmful effects of lateral violence.MethodsWe investigated whether ERI affirmation moderated the relationship between exposure to lateral violence and Aboriginal children's SEWB. Children (n = 360) from the K-Cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children were included in this analysis. Children's ERI was dichotomised into high versus low affirmation, and General Linear Models were used to examine the effects of lateral violence on SEWB and the potentially moderating effect of ERI on that relationship.ResultsIncreased exposure to lateral violence was associated with increased difficulties in all Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire domains. ERI was also shown to moderate the relationship between exposure to lateral violence and peer difficulties, with children in the high ERI affirmation group showing greater vulnerability than those in the low group.ConclusionsThe findings of this study are discussed in relation to their potential to inform policy and clinical practice. What is already known about this topic: Lateral violence primarily occurs within groups who experience oppression.Questions about a person's Indigenous status may involve a critique of their authenticity and, therefore, representation of them as more or less Indigenous.Current literature indicates that Ethnic racial identity (ERI) may have positive and negative implications for an individual's social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) along several distinct dimensions.What this topic adds: In this study, lateral violence had a significant and negative effect on individual SEWB.Increased exposure to lateral violence was associated with an increase in peer problems, particularly for Indigenous Adolescents who were highly affirming of their ERI.The salience of ERI affirmation may be particularly important for Indigenous adolescents as they seek to establish a clear sense of their own, often unique, identity.