Immigrant youth acculturation and perceived discrimination: Longitudinal mediation by immigrant peers' acceptance/rejection

This study examined, first, the longitudinal interplay between immigrant youth's acculturation into the host and ethnic cultures and perceived ethnic discrimination, and, second, whether acceptance and rejection by immigrant and non-immigrant peers longitudinally mediated the link between acculturation and discrimination. 1057 students nested in 49 Greek middle-school classrooms took part in the study (Wave 1; age M = 12.7 years). 532 immigrants provided the acculturation and discrimination data. Together with their 525 Greek classmates, they also provided peer nomination data. Immigrant youth's higher acculturation into the host culture predicted over time decreases in perceived ethnic discrimination. Furthermore, this link was longitudinally mediated by acceptance by Greek peers. The reverse path from perceived ethnic discrimination to acculturation into the Greek culture was not significant. The results suggest that to promote immigrant youth positive adaptation, interventions need to support their acculturation and intergroup contact.