The significance of cross-racial/ethnic friendships: associations with peer victimization, social-psychological adjustment, and classroom diversity.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine consequences of diverse friendships. Specifically, this study investigated the associations between diverse friendships and changes in indices of social adjustment (e.g., sociometric status, peer victimization, peer support), which are developmentally salient for school-aged children, and how classroom diversity moderates these associations. Further, this study investigated whether social preference mediates these social processes. The sample consisted of 444 children who were in the fourth grade from 39 diverse classrooms in 10 public elementary schools. Results demonstrated that cross-racial/ethnic friendships uniquely predicted relative decreases in peer rejection, relational victimization, externalizing adjustment problems, and internalizing adjustment problems and relative increases in peer acceptance and peer support, whereas same-racial/ethnic friendships were unrelated to relative changes in these indices of social adjustment. In addition, classroom diversity moderated the association between cross-racial/ethnic friendships and relative decreases in physical victimization or relative increases in peer support, such that children with these friendships were less likely to experience physical victimization and were more likely to receive peer support in highly diverse classrooms. Finally, social preference mediated the association between cross-racial/ethnic friendships and relational victimization. The complex mechanisms involving cross-racial/ethnic friendships, same-racial/ethnic friendships, social adjustment, and classroom diversity were discussed.