Unpopularity with same- and cross-ethnicity peers as predictors of depressive symptoms during adolescence

Publication date: May–June 2019Source: Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Volume 62Author(s): Luiza V. Mali, David Schwartz, Daryaneh Badaly, Tana J. Luo, Sarah Malamut, Alexandra C. Ross, Mylien T. DuongAbstractThis 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.
Source: Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology - Category: Child Development Source Type: research