Interethnic Climate and Psychological Adjustment in High School: The Role of School Belonging and Ethnic Identity.

Abstract

School interethnic climate has interpersonal and intrapersonal implications for adolescent development, but little is known of how it influences their psychological adjustment over time, let alone what drives this influence. This study examined whether two components of identity-school belonging perceptions and ethnic-racial identity beliefs-mediate the association between 10th grade perceptions of school interethnic climate and 12th grade psychological adjustment. The analytic sample includes 849 students (50% girls; 30% Latinx, 27% White, 16% Asian/Pacific Islander, 18% Multiethnic, 6% African American/Black, 3% Other). Data were collected across three grade levels (Grade 10 ageM = 15.4 [0.52], Grade 11 ageM = 16.4 [0.52], Grade 12 ageM = 17.4 [0.52]) in three public high schools in two U.S. states. Findings indicated that school belonging, but not ethnic-racial identity, in 11th grade fully mediated the relation between school interethnic climate and later psychological adjustment. These pathways did not significantly differ between Asian American/Pacific Islander, Latinx, Multiethnic, and White students. This work highlights school belonging and ethnic-racial identity as distinct and beneficial developmental mechanisms in this context, as well as provides pragmatic school-centered implications for practice.