Poster #80 - Associations Between Friendship Racial Composition and Ethnic/Racial Identity Over Time: The Role of School Racial Diversity

• In Event: Poster Session 10

Abstract

High schools represent a significant social context for adolescent identity development (Barber & Olson 2004; Benner & Graham 2007). Prior research has explored adolescent changes in both friendships (Bowker 2004; Hiatt et al. 2015) and ethnic/racial identity (ERI; Umaña-Taylor et al, 2014) throughout high school. However, less is known about how school racial diversity may impact changes in friendship racial composition and ERI exploration, as well as how changes in friendship and ERI exploration may be related to each other over time. This study investigated longitudinal associations between friendship racial composition and ERI exploration, as well as the role of school racial diversity, among U.S. adolescents of color.

Methods: Two independent studies that recruited 9th-grade adolescents from 5 racially diverse NYC-area high schools (with one overlapping school) were merged. The combined sample included diverse adolescents (n = 640, 44% Asian, 20% Black, 36% Latine). The average age was 14.50 years at the 9th grade and was majority cis-gender female (68%; male = 32%, non-binary = 0%). Data were collected at the end of every school year for three consecutive years. Participants nominated friendships using open-ended nominations including the race of their five best friends. Friendship racial composition was operationalized as two measures: proportion of same-race friends (the number of friends matching the participant’s primary race divided by the number of friends nominated (T1 x = 0.55), and friendship racial diversity (the Simpson’s Diversity Index (T1 x =0.58). Participants reported ERI exploration using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM; Phinney, 1992; T1 x = 2.17). School racial diversity was calculated using the Simpson’s Diversity Index (SDI) and using the 9th-grade racial composition data from the Department of Education (Department of Education, 2014; Simpson, 1949; x = 0.47).

Results: On average, both same-race friends and ERI exploration increased from 9th-11th grade primarily driven by an increase from 9th-10th grade. Bivariate latent growth curve models suggested that trajectories of ERI exploration from 9th-11th grade varied significantly by 9th-grade levels of friendship racial composition such that more diverse friendships in the 9th grade were associated with faster increases in ERI exploration from the 9th-11th grade, controlling for 9th-grade levels of ERI exploration. However, variability in the trajectories (i.e. slopes) of friendship racial composition was not significantly associated with variability in trajectories of ERI exploration from 9th-11th grade (Figure 1). In addition, 9th-grade school racial diversity was significantly associated with trajectories of friendship composition such that adolescents in more diverse schools reported less decline in friendship diversity from the 9th-11th grades compared to adolescents in less racially diverse schools (Figure 2). In other words, adolescents who attended more diverse schools in the 9th grade were more likely to maintain more diverse friendships from 9th-11th grade. These findings highlight the long-term benefit of early friendship racial diversity as a socializing context for adolescent ERI development, as well as the influence of school racial diversity on adolescent friendships over time.

Authors

• Kyle Lorenzo, Fordham University
  Presenting Author

• Tiffany Yip, Fordham University