Managing the unexpected: Bicultural identity integration during the COVID-19 emergency

Soraya Elizabeth Shamloo; Veronica Margherita Cocco; Martina Faccini; Verónica Benet-Martínez; Elena Trifiletti

doi:10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101781

Managing the unexpected: Bicultural identity integration during the COVID-19 emergency

Int J Intercult Relat. 2023 Mar:93:101781. doi: 10.1016/j.ijintrel.2023.101781. Epub 2023 Feb 22.

Authors

Soraya Elizabeth Shamloo¹, Veronica Margherita Cocco², Martina Faccini³, Verónica Benet-Martínez⁴, Elena Trifiletti³

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emila, Viale A. Allegri 9, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
² Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, University of Parma, Borgo Carissimi, 10, 43121 Parma, Italy.
³ Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, via San Francesco 22, 35127 Verona, Italy.
⁴ Department of Political and Social Sciences, ICREA & Pompeu Fabra University, Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27, 08005 Barcelona, Spain.

Abstract

Unexpected and sudden emergency situations such as COVID-19 may render ethnic minorities particularly vulnerable to experiencing negative outcomes. Yet, we put forward that Bicultural Identity Integration (BII) - the degree to which bicultural individuals perceive their cultural identities as compatible and overlapping - may represent a resource in times of emergencies, since it may positively influence, through enhancement of psychological well-being, how bicultural individuals respond in terms of distress and coping strategies. Based on this assumption, the present study aimed at examining the relationship between BII and responses to COVID-19. N = 370 bicultural individuals (mean age = 26.83, SD = 8.74) from different cultural backgrounds were recruited online and completed measures of BII, psychological well-being, COVID-19 distress and coping strategies (positive attitudes, avoidance, social support seeking) during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. We tested a model in which BII was the predictor, psychological well-being was the mediator and reactions to the COVID-19 emergency (distress, use of coping) were the outcomes. This model was tested against two alternative models. The proposed model showed a better fit to the data compared to the alternative models. In this model, psychological well-being mediated the relationship between BII (harmony) and coping strategies, except social support seeking. These findings highlight the important role played by BII in emergency situations, as it may indirectly, through enhancement of psychological well-being, contribute to enhance biculturals' adaptive reactions in terms of distress as well as affect coping strategies during highly stressful events.

Keywords: Bicultural identity integration; Biculturalism; COVID-19; COVID-19 distress; Coping; Psychological well-being.