Immigrant adolescents' perceptions of cultural pluralism climate: Relations to self-esteem, academic self-concept, achievement, and discrimination

Bullying Victimization Moderates the Association between Social Skills and Self-Esteem among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study in International Schools

Background. Bullying is a major school problem. Victims of bullying often experience low self-esteem, whereas social skills are positively associated with the level of self-esteem. This research examined whether the victim's condition impacted their social skills and self-esteem. Methods. International school students in Thailand aged 13 to 18 years old completed the Olweus bullying questionnaire, social capital questionnaire (SC), social skills questionnaire (SS), adolescent discrimination index (ADDI), and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES). Moderation analyses and visual presentations were carried out using IBM SPSS ver. 22 and PROCESS, ver. 4.0. Results. A total of 102 students participated (63% female). The mean age of the participants was 16.57 (SD = 1.42). The number of victims was 16 (15.7%), the mean (SD) for the SC, SS, ADDI, and RSES was 7.82 (2.37), 44.45 (9.40), 12.33 (9.82), and 27.85 (5.31), respectively. As predicted, those with high social skills reported greater self-esteem when they had never been bullied. The moderation effect was significant: B = 0.458, standard error = 0.203, 95% CI = -0.836 to -0.054. Additionally, the ADDI and SC were found to predict self-esteem. Conclusions. The significant moderation effect suggests the importance of identifying the victim's condition when the association between social skills and self-esteem is not observed (as expected) among school adolescents. A longitudinal study to confirm the causal relationship should be encouraged. Further research on providing appropriate interventions along with social skill training for the victim group is warranted.

[Effect of Acculturative Stress on Multicultural Adolescents' Life Satisfaction: Sequential Multiple Mediating Effects of Bicultural Acceptance Attitude, Self-Esteem, and Social Withdrawal -Using the 2016 Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study]

PURPOSE

This study determined acculturative stress' effect on the life satisfaction of multicultural adolescents based on Roy's Adaptation Model and some earlier studies. Further, it examined the sequential multiple mediating effects of bicultural acceptance attitude, self-esteem, and social withdrawal on life satisfaction.

METHODS

Participants included 1,163 multicultural adolescents who participated in the sixth Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study. A hypothesis test was conducted using Hayes' Process Macro Model 81.

RESULTS

Life satisfaction increased with a decline in acculturative stress. Each of bicultural acceptance attitude, self-esteem, and social withdrawal had a single mediating effect on the relationship between acculturative stress and life satisfaction in multicultural adolescents. The sequential multiple mediating effects of bicultural acceptance attitude and self-esteem were confirmed significant after their impact on the relationship between acculturative stress and life satisfaction was analyzed. Bicultural acceptance attitude and social withdrawal were found to have a significant sequential multiple mediating effect on the relationship, as well.

CONCLUSION

This study's results demonstrate that acculturative stress reduction is critical to improving multicultural adolescents' life satisfaction. Bicultural acceptance attitude, self-esteem, and social withdrawal have a single mediating or sequential multiple mediating effect on the relationship between multicultural adolescents' acculturative stress and life satisfaction. The findings, which highlight mediating effects, indicate that by increasing bicultural acceptance attitude and self-esteem, and reducing social withdrawal, multicultural adolescents' life satisfaction can be improved.

Experiences of Discrimination and Everyday Racism Among Children and Adolescents With an Immigrant Background - Results of a Systematic Literature Review on the Impact of Discrimination on the Developmental Outcomes of Minors Worldwide

Experiences of discrimination such as everyday racism can negatively affect the mental and physical health of children and adolescents with an immigrant background and impair their integration process in the host societies. Although experiences of racism are part of the everyday life of many minors affected by the process of "Othering" (e.g., those with an immigrant background), an overview of empirical findings is missing for this age group worldwide. A systematic review was conducted to identify and analyze international research on the impact of discrimination on the developmental outcomes and integration of immigrant children and adolescents. Three scientific databases were systematically searched up to June 11, 2021. A total of k = 4,769 identified publications were reviewed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria in terms of the PICOS format by independent reviewers. Thirty-four primary studies published between 1998 and 2021 met all inclusion criteria. The samples examined were mainly migrant youth (k = 30), with only k = 2 studies assessing refugee youth and k = 1 study assessing both migrant and refugee youth. The majority of included studies assessed perceived discrimination, with only k = 1 study directly assessing experiences of racism. The association between discrimination or racism and developmental outcomes was assessed by the included studies within the three main topics of (a) mental and physical health-related outcomes (k = 30, e.g., self-esteem, depressive symptoms), (b) school-related outcomes (k = 6, e.g., academic achievement), and (c) other developmental outcomes (k = 13, e.g., misconduct or delinquency). Data collection procedures were implemented, and findings on minors' developmental outcomes and integration process who experience discrimination and racism were summarized and discussed. The current review suggests experienced (racial) discrimination as a negative predictor of children and adolescents' (mental) health-related outcomes, while no clear results could be found for the association between discrimination and school-related outcomes. A need for more empirical research focusing on the path and (possibly) indirect link between discrimination and children and adolescents' school-related outcomes as well as resulting school recommendations and the chosen career path was derived.

Systematic Review Registration

[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=260291], identifier [CRD42021260291].

Understanding for Which Students and Classes a Socio-Ecological Aggression Prevention Program Works Best: Testing Individual Student and Class Level Moderators

School-based aggression prevention programs may not be equally effective for all students and classes, depending on student and class characteristics. This study investigated moderators of a cluster randomized controlled socio-ecological aggression prevention program's effectiveness (change from pretest to posttest, sample: 2,042 preadolescents, mean age = 11.7 years, SD = 0.09, 47.6% girls) and sustainability (change from posttest to follow-up test, sample: 659 preadolescents, mean age = 12.7 years, SD = 0.08, 47.9% girls). The program worked better in multicultural classes, as greater ethnic diversity strengthened the program's effectiveness and sustainability. Moderating effects of a positive social class climate and higher baseline levels of aggressive behavior and victimization were also found. These results advance socio-ecological theorizing and can help develop more contextualized interventions.