Citation

Mali LV, Schwartz D, Badaly D, Luo TJ, Malamut S, Ross AC, Duong MT. J. Appl. Dev. Psychol. 2019; 62: 93-101.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.appdev.2019.02.001

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This longitudinal study examined associations between perceptions of unpopularity with same- and cross-ethnicity peers and depressive symptoms in an ethnically diverse adolescent peer group. Participants were 393 Vietnamese and Mexican American adolescents (209 boys, 184 girls; Mage = 15.04 years, SD = 0.73, age range: 14-17 years) followed across two consecutive school years. Participants completed a demographic survey, self-report measures of depressive symptoms and ethnic identity, and a peer-nomination inventory assessing unpopularity. Unpopularity with same-ethnicity peers predicted increases in depressive symptoms for boys but not girls. Cross-ethnicity attitudes were not predictive of psychological difficulties. The findings of this study provide the first known evidence that, for boys, perceptions of unpopularity by same-ethnicity peers may be a more significant threat to emotional functioning than similar perceptions by peers of a different ethnicity.

RESULTS indicate that a nuanced perspective on risk mechanisms accounting for same- and cross-ethnic relations and gender may be warranted.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescence; Depression; Ethnicity; Unpopularity