Healthy development associated with feeling good about one’s background

As per a recent meta- analysis, frustration, depression and other emotional problems in the minority youth can be kept at bay by bearing positive feeling about one’s ethnic background and race. According to Deborah Rivas-Drake, the leader of the meta-analysis, “Ethnic and racial identity is a complex issue among minority youth. Feeling positively about ethnic or racial identity is not going to solve all the issues; minority youth face, but this research shows that it clearly helps them in many ways." Moreover, it has also been revealed that pupils in school with positive feelings regarding their ethnic and racial identity tend to have good social interactions skills, self-esteem, better grades in academics and even less attraction towards alcohols and drugs. According to Rivas-Drake, when such youth is exposed to race and ethnic stories – such as small children being told about their identity by their minority parents – earn more fruits of connection.