Tip, Linda K, Brown, Rupert, Morrice, Linda, Collyer, Michael and Easterbrook, Matthew J (2019) Improving refugee well-being with better language skills and more intergroup contact. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 10 (2). pp. 144-151. ISSN 1948-5506

	PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (234kB)
	PDF (In Press) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (234kB)
	PDF - Accepted Version Download (430kB)

Abstract

The effects of intergroup contact on prejudice are well established. However, its effects on minority group well-being have been rarely studied. We hypothesised that contact with members of the majority culture will be related to better well-being, and that this is facilitated by majority language proficiency. We tested this hypothesis in a three-wave longitudinal study of refugees over two years (N = 180). Cross-lagged path modelling confirmed that intergroup contact at earlier time points was associated with increased well-being at later time points; the reverse associations (from earlier well-being to later contact) were not reliable. Self-rated earlier English language competence was positively associated with later intergroup contact (but not the reverse), suggesting that improving majority language proficiency might be the key to better well-being of refugees, with intergroup contact being the mediator between language and well-being.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Intergroup Contact, Well-Being, Language, Refugees, Intergroup relations
Schools and Departments:	School of Psychology > Psychology
Depositing User:	Ellena Adams
Date Deposited:	13 Dec 2017 14:51
Last Modified:	18 Jul 2019 14:15
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/72037

View download statistics for this item

📧 Request an update