Daily Associations Between Cross-Ethnic Peer Interactions and Adolescent Adjustment: Disentangling Situational Contexts

• In Event: 3-173 - Racial/Ethnic Diversity and Adolescents’ Well-being in Everyday Life: Unpacking the Daily Processes

Integrative Statement

Introduction. Research has highlighted the benefits of cross-ethnic peer relationships for adolescents’ psychosocial adjustment and academic achievement (Graham, 2018; Lewis et al., 2018). Yet, studies have also identified challenges associated with cross-ethnic interactions, such as increased stress and intergroup anxiety (MacInnis & Page-Gould, 2015). One way to disentangle these contrasting findings is by attending to the situational contexts of cross-ethnic interactions. Although theories have stressed the importance of situational conditions (i.e., equal status in the situation, common goals, intergroup cooperation, authority support) in ensuring the benefits of intergroup contact (Allport, 1954; Pettigrew, 1998), developmental research has yet to explore how cross-ethnic peer interactions in varying contexts may have different developmental implications. This study examines daily cross-ethnic peer interactions in structured school contexts (i.e., in class, lunchtime, and extracurricular activities) versus in unstructured social contexts (i.e., hangout), seeking to understand whether cross-ethnic peer interactions in varying contexts impact adolescent adjustment differently. Because structured school contexts likely capture the optimal intergroup contact conditions posited by theories, we hypothesize that cross-ethnic peer interactions in these contexts are particularly beneficial for adjustment in academic, emotional, and behavioral health domains.

Method. Daily diary data were collected from 52 9th graders across two weeks in the Midwest. Data collection is ongoing, with a target sample size of 200 9th graders. The current sample includes 64% males (14% Latinx, 48% Blacks, 9% Asian Americans, 5% Native Americans, 20% White, 4% other race/ethnicities). The average completion rate was 87% (SD = 17%). For cross-ethnic peer interactions, adolescents reported on a daily basis whether or not they 1) studied, 2) had lunch, 3) participated in extracurricular activities, and 4) hung out together with peers who had a different race/ethnicity from them. Adolescents also rated their daily academics (engagement, belonging), mood (positive, negative, anxious, and angry mood), and sleep (duration, quality, latency, disturbance, daytime dysfunction). Covariates included adolescent gender, race/ethnicity, days in the study, weekdays (versus weekends), and daily same-ethnic peer interactions.

Results. All analyses were conducted in a multilevel SEM framework using Mplus 8. We observed differential associations between daily cross-ethnic peer interactions and adolescent adjustment by situational contexts (Table 1). Specifically, on days when adolescents had cross-ethnic peer interactions in structured school contexts (i.e., in class, lunchtime, and extracurricular activities), they reported better academic outcomes (greater engagement, stronger belonging). Daily cross-ethnic peer interactions at lunchtime were also associated with more positive mood and better sleep (longer duration, better quality, less latency/disturbance/daytime dysfunction). In contrast, on days when adolescents had cross-ethnic peer interactions in unstructured social contexts (i.e., hangout), they reported more negative, anxious, and angry mood.

Discussion. Findings highlighted the importance of differentiating situational contexts: while cross-ethnic peer interactions in structured school contexts were associated with better adjustment in multiple domains, those occurred in unstructured social contexts posed emotional challenges in adolescents’ everyday life. Potential peer dynamics in different contexts will be discussed. Future work is needed to further understand when and how cross-ethnic peer interactions promote development.

Author

• Yijie Wang, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author