Everyday discrimination, emotion, and daily interactions during adolescence

J Res Adolesc. 2024 Mar;34(1):141-158. doi: 10.1111/jora.12899. Epub 2023 Dec 6.

Abstract

The present study examined whether everyday discrimination relates to the frequency of adolescents' positive and negative daily social interactions and whether these associations are driven by anger and positive emotion. Adolescents (N = 334) participated in a three-wave longitudinal study, in which they completed surveys regarding everyday discrimination, anger, and positive emotion, as well as 15 daily reports of conflict and getting along with friends and family. Higher everyday discrimination was related to more daily conflicts and fewer experiences of getting along with other people. Longitudinal models also provided preliminary evidence that everyday discrimination was associated with daily conflicts 4 years later indirectly through anger. Overall, results suggest everyday discrimination relates to adolescents' daily experiences, potentially through differences in emotion.

Keywords: conflict; everyday discrimination; social interactions.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior* / psychology
  • Anger
  • Emotions*
  • Friends / psychology
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies