Citation

O'Connor S, Jose PE. Dev. Psychol. 2012; 48(6): 1563-1569.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0027597

PMID

22390671

Abstract

Extracurricular activities are important in many young people's lives and have been associated with positive academic, psychological, and social outcomes. However, most previous research has been limited to school-based activities in the North American context. This study expands existing literature by analyzing longitudinal data from more than 1,300 young Māaori and European New Zealanders, using propensity score matching techniques to control for selection effects. Results suggest that youth participating in community-based activities experienced greater social support than nonparticipants. For Māaori youth, participating in nonsports activities was associated with later benefits, while for New Zealand European youth, benefits were associated with sports activities. Participants of different ages reported different types of benefits. These findings highlight points of similarity and difference between New Zealand and North American youth and provide a better understanding of the positive impacts of community-based activities for young people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Language: en