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Does School Composition Moderate the Longitudinal Association Between Social Status Insecurity and Aggression Among Latinx Adolescents?

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in social status insecurity and self-reported relational and overt aggression based on the ethnic context of the schools, and how ethnic context moderates the associations between social status insecurity and self-reported relational and overt aggression. Participants were 405 Latinx adolescents (53% girls; M = 14.51, SD = .58). Adolescents were from one of two schools in which they were either the majority (84% Latinx population; n = 203) or the minority (10% Latinx population; n = 202). They completed questionnaires on social status insecurity and self-reported relational and overt aggression at time 1 (in 7th grade) and self-reported relational and overt aggression at time 2 (1 year later in 8th grade). The findings revealed that minority adolescents reported higher levels of social status insecurity and self-reported relational aggression at time 1 and time 2. The association between social status insecurity and time 2 self-reported relational aggression was more positive for minority adolescents. Majority adolescent status did not influence this association.

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Correspondence to Michelle F. Wright.

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Wright, M.F., Wachs, S. Does School Composition Moderate the Longitudinal Association Between Social Status Insecurity and Aggression Among Latinx Adolescents?. Int Journal of Bullying Prevention 1, 180–186 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-019-00021-x

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