title: Emotional and behavioral problems among adolescent students: the role of immigrant, racial/ethnic congruence and belongingness in schools.
abstract: As levels of immigration and ethnic diversity continue to rise in most Western societies, the social demography of schools is changing rapidly. Although schools represent a prominent developmental context, relatively little is known about the extent to which the racial/ethnic composition of schools influences mental health outcomes in students. The objective of the present study is to examine the association between immigrant and racial/ethnic congruence in school-the numerical representation of a student's immigrant generational status and race/ethnicity in the student body-and levels of emotional and behavioral problems. This study also examines the extent to which the association between congruence and emotional-behavioral problems differs across racial/ethnic immigrant sub-groups and is accounted for by individual perceptions of school belonging. Data come from the in-school survey of the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) conducted in the United States. The sample is nationally representative, and includes 128 schools and 77,150 adolescents in grades 7-12 (50 % female, M age = 14.9 years, SD = 1.78). After controlling for school and family socio-demographic characteristics, immigrant and racial/ethnic congruence in school exhibited a negative association with emotional and behavioral problems for most sub-groups examined. School belonging was associated negatively with emotional and behavioral problems, and partially accounted for the effects linked to congruence in schools. The immigrant and racial/ethnic composition of schools and perceptions of belonging have strong links with emotional and behavioral problems and may represent important targets for intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Offord Centre for Child Studies, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. georgik@mcmaster.ca
authors.forename: Katholiki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Georgiades
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Fife
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000208:ethnology; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012929:Psychological Distance; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012574:Schools; D012933:Social Identification; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology