Poster #169 - Associations Between Contact Profiles and Positive and Negative Intergroup Behaviors

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Integrative Statement

The positive effects of intergroup contact have been extensively documented (Brown & Hewstone, 2005; Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006); however, for youth in post-conflict societies, daily experiences of intergroup contact may be limited. Moreover, contact that does occur can range in quality with some experiencing negative contact defined by tension and others experiencing positive contact that promotes positive intergroup attitudes. Recent research has examined the effects of negative contact (e.g., Barlow et al., 2012) as well as the roles of individual vs. community-level contact. Two recent studies have suggested that contact that occurs at the community or context level may be more impactful than individual experiences of contact (Christ et al., 2014; Merrilees et al., 2018). Thus, complementing these variable-centered approaches the current study utilizes a person-centered approach by examining different profiles of contact (i.e., frequency, quality and extended contact) for youth in divided communities of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Links between these profiles and positive and negative indicators of intergroup relations were also examined.

Data for the current study are drawn from a longitudinal study of youth development in a context of political conflict. During the six-wave study, 999 mother-child dyads completed interviews. The current study uses data from the 5th and 6th waves of the larger study. In wave 5, youth ranged in age from 10– 20 years old and they were 15.75 years old on average (SD= 1.97). Forty-nine percent of the participants identified as males. Three aspects of intergroup contact were measured as the primary variables of interest in the contact profile classifications. Intergroup contact frequency and quality between Catholics and Protestants and extended contact were measured with commonly used items tapping in Northern Ireland (Dixon et al. 2010). Distal outcomes considered in the current study include negative intergroup behaviors (participation in intergroup antisocial behavior) as well as positive indicators of intergroup attitudes and behaviors- prosocial behaviors toward outgroup members- mother reported, and attitudes toward the peace process.

Latent profile analysis was conducted in MPLUS (Muthen & Muthen, 2012). Following recommendations regarding distal outcomes (Asparhouov & Muthen, 2014; Lanza, Tan, & Bray, 2013), the one-step method was utilized given high entropy scores and lack of change in the latent classifications with addition of auxiliary variables. Multiple indices of fit were used to determine the number of classes (Nylund, Asparhouov & Muthen, 2007). The data supported a 4 class solution (See Figure 1). Consistent with previous research suggesting the negative effects of segregation on intergroup relations, the results suggest the low contact group engaged in statistically more intergroup antisocial behaviors and they reported more negative attitudes toward the peace process compared to the other three groups (See Figure 2). All of the groups differed from one another regarding intergroup prosocial behaviors suggesting that youth with high quality contact and extended contact are more likely to engage in positive intergroup behaviors. Future analyses will include models with predictor variables. The results have implications for post-conflict peace building strategies that draw from the contact hypothesis.

Authors

• Christine Merrilees, State University of New York at Geneseo
  Presenting Author

• Laura K Taylor, Queen's University Belfast
  Non-Presenting Author

• Marcie Goeke-Morey, The Catholic University of America
  Non-Presenting Author

• Peter Shirlow, University of Liverpool
  Non-Presenting Author

• E. Mark Cummings, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author