Negative contact, collective action, and social change: critical reflections, technological advances, and new directions

Intergroup contact research has expanded exponentially in the last few decades, with researchers employing a widening range of methods to offer new insights into the effects of both positive and negative contact experiences. In this commentary, we discuss the contributions of three papers to this special issue of the Journal of Social Issues on advances in intergroup contact research, namely Schäfer et al.’s (2021) review of research on negative intergroup contact experiences, Hässler et al.’s (2020) review of research on intergroup contact and social change, and O'Donnell et al.’s (2021) review of technological and analytic advances in contact research. Having outlined the key arguments of each paper, we then offer some theoretical and methodological reflections, also discussing potential gaps, connections, opportunities, and future directions along the way. We end by reflecting on a common theme that permeates our commentary: the need to contextualize adequately the dynamics of intergroup contact across a range of everyday settings. Here we argue that to fully understand how to promote beneficial forms of intergroup contact, we need to consider more carefully how contact is experienced, enacted, and evaluated “on the ground” by participants themselves. This requires work of both theoretical and methodological innovation

Adolescent outgroup helping, collective action, and political activism in a setting of protracted conflict

This article examines the role of empathy for outgroup helping, collective action and political activism among youth in Northern Ireland, a setting of protracted conflict. Integrating the Empathy-Attitudes-Action model with the Developmental Peacebuilding Model, a two-wave study was conducted to assess youth’s behavioural intentions and actual behaviours toward refugees. Across two waves (N = 383, 52 % male, 48 % female; 14−16 years old), empathy at Time 1 predicted more positive attitudes toward ethnic minorities at Time 2, which in turn was positively related to four outcomes aiming to foster prosocial change for refugees: helping behaviour and realistic helping at the interpersonal level, collective action intentions at the structural level, and signing a petition aiming for cultural change. That is, outgroup attitudes mediated the link from empathy to three types of prosocial action toward refugees. The findings suggest that youth not only volunteer to help an individual outgroup member, but also support broader structural and cultural change that will benefit those they may never meet. Implications for recognising and supporting the constructive agency of youth toward disadvantaged groups in conflict settings are discussed

Examining the association between family environment and adolescent delinquent behaviours in China

We examined the association between perceived family environment and delinquent behaviours among Chinese adolescents. A sample of 176 middle school students (M = 13.7, SD = 0.86) completed the Chinese version of the Youth Self-Report and the Chinese version of the Family Environment Scale during their school time. Multiple regression was performed to assess the association between family environment and adolescent delinquency. Results demonstrated that a stronger family relationship was conducive to positive adolescent development. Exploratory analysis revealed that the expressiveness, conflict, independence, and control subscales were positively, and the cohesion and organization subscales were negatively associated with adolescent delinquency. Results underscore the significance of positive relationships in adolescents’ delinquent trajectory. Findings have important implications for addressing adolescent delinquency, supporting the need for a family-centred approach that includes parents, schools, and social workers

Perceived teacher support, collective efficacy in school, and constructive engagement among youth in a conflict-affected society

In conflict-affected societies, teachers are critical to supporting positive youth development and encouraging constructive societal contributions. The present research examined the role of perceived teacher support on youth collective efficacy in school and implications for constructive engagement. Recruited through their schools as part of a larger study, 395 youth (aged 15-16, evenly split by religion and gender) completed survey measures of perceived teacher support, collective efficacy in school, and two constructs assessing constructive engagement: nonviolent strategies to manage conflict and collective action for refugees. To test the effects of teacher support on constructive engagement through collective efficacy, bootstrapped mediation analysis was conducted. Collective efficacy in school mediated the link between perceived teacher support and youth’s nonviolent strategies and collective action. Findings highlight the importance of teacher support and collective efficacy in promoting constructive engagement. Implications for teacher training and interventions that aim to engage youth in society are discussed

Mental health outcomes of ethnic identity and acculturation among British-born children of immigrants from Turkey

Identity development can be challenging for adolescents, particularly those from immigrant families who are required to make sense of their identity whilst accommodating themselves into different cultures. For second-generation ethnic minority adolescents, these identity formation processes may range from harmony/effectiveness to conflict/stress, having consequences for acculturation and for mental health. Focusing on an underexplored area of research, the present study aimed to examine the relationships between ethnic identity, acculturation orientations, and mental health outcomes among second-generation Turkish adolescents (16–18 years old) in England. Data were collected using a self-report survey (N = 220) and analyzed using structural equation modelling. Results demonstrated that ethnic identity was positively associated with positive mental health and that each ethnic identity component (exploration, resolution, affirmation) was differently associated with life satisfaction, self-esteem, psychological well-being, and depression. Ethnic identity was also positively related to separation and negatively to marginalization whilst no relationships were observed between integration, separation or marginalization, and mental health. Mediation analysis determined that ethnic identity was negatively associated with assimilation and in turn, more positive mental health. Findings demonstrate the complexity of understanding the nature and effects of ethnic identity for second-generation adolescents and have important implications for theory and practice

Believe it or not:Exploring the relationship between dogmatism and openness within non-religious samples

Personality and dogmatic thinking within religious individuals have been examined by previous research, but neglected for non-religious individuals. In this experiment, we distinguish between two types of non-religious groups; those who ascribe themselves to an identity (atheists) and those who do not (no beliefs in particular). A total of 103 non-religious individuals (36% atheists and 64% with no particular beliefs) completed an online questionnaire measuring dogmatism and openness traits, with an additional Christian group (n = 91) serving as a control. After confirming a relationship between identity salience and dogmatism, and validating a measure of dogmatism (DOG) in both non-religious groups, we note key personality differences between the two. Those with no beliefs in particular demonstrated a traditional negative correlation between openness and dogmatism (along with Christians) while these variables correlated positively for atheists (in particular, on ‘unconventionality’). This study is the first to establish differences between the relationship of dogmatism and openness within non-religious populations and explain these differences through group identity. Thus, identity strength and group belief systems are suggested to be key contributors to observed group differences between non-religious individualsPeer reviewe