title: Feeling like a group after a natural disaster: Common ingroup identity and relations with outgroup victims among majority and minority young children.
abstract: We conducted a field study to test whether the common ingroup identity model (Gaertner & Dovidio, 2000, reducing intergroup bias: The common ingroup identity model. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press) could be a useful tool to improve intergroup relations in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Participants were majority (Italian) and minority (immigrant) elementary school children (N = 517) living in the area struck by powerful earthquakes in May 2012. Results revealed that, among majority children, the perceived external threat represented by the earthquake was associated with greater perceptions of belonging to a common ingroup including both ingroup and outgroup. In turn, heightened one-group perceptions were associated with greater willingness to meet and help outgroup victims, both directly and indirectly via more positive outgroup attitudes. Among immigrant children, perceived disaster threat was not associated with any of the dependent variables; one-group perceptions were positively associated with outgroup attitudes, helping and contact intentions towards outgroup victims. Thus, one-group perceptions after a natural disaster may promote more positive and supporting relations between the majority and the minority group. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Humanities, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Loris
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vezzali
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Humanities, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cadamuro
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Humanities, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Versari
authors.affiliation: Department of Education and Humanities, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: Dino
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giovannini
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology, University of Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trifiletti
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004190:Disasters; D055866:Earthquakes; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D012933:Social Identification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: common ingroup identity model; earthquake; helping behavioural intentions; intergroup relations; natural disasters