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FLUIDITY OF ADOLESCENT LATINE IDENTITY
Thesis

FLUIDITY OF ADOLESCENT LATINE IDENTITY

Audrey Bruening
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2026
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Open Access

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine factors that contributed to the fluidity of Latine identity in 7th–12th graders. Background: Race and ethnicity are complex, fluid social constructions, and there has been much debate over the proper way to capture ethno-racial identity within surveys. Because ethno-racial identity is formed during adolescence, the population of this study being middle and high schoolers was important, as was the ability to capture identity across two survey locations to reflect fluidity. Method: Utilizing the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Wave 1), this study examined the fluidity of Latine identity across home and school contexts. Multinomial logistic regression with clustering at the school level was used to assess factors contributing to fluidity. Results: Factors such as sex, year in school, race, parental Latine identity, and school racial composition predicted the fluidity of adolescent Latine identity. Conclusion: When seeking to capture adolescent Latine identity, fluidity must be considered because individual and social contextual factors influence ethno-racial identification. Latine identity, like many other identities, is socially informed, yet researchers often assume identity to be fixed. Implications: Current research treats ethno-racial identities as static, yet as shown throughout the study, Latine identity is fluid. Research would benefit by moving beyond traditional measurement tools of ethno-racial identity and encompass fluidity.

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