Promoting youth intergroup contact in a postaccord society: The role of supportive interaction norms and self-expansion.

Perceiving supportive peer norms are associated with more frequent and higher quality intergroup contact across a range of contexts. Youth interactions, however, are influenced by a wide range of socializing agents as well as individuals’ desire to interact. Exploring both socializing agents and individual-level variables, the present research examines whether perceived peer, school and family interaction norms, and self-expansion are associated with contact quality and quantity in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Across two time points, 312 14- to 17-year-old (M = 14.71, SD = 0.70; 55% male; 66% Protestant, 33% Catholic) from three secondary schools participated. Results indicate that among our participants, perceiving supportive peer norms (not school or family) at Time 1 were associated with more frequent contact at Time 2, while perceived supportive family norms (not peer or school) at Time 1 were associated with greater quality of contact at Time 2. Implications are discussed in relation to the effects of perceived norms and self-expansion on youth intergroup contact in Northern Ireland, as well as opportunities for promoting peace in divided societies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)

This article explores some of the different factors that influence whether young people in Belfast, Northern Ireland choose to interact with people from the other community and if they do, whether those interactions are good quality or not. Findings show that young people who feel that their peers support them to interact with people from the other community interact more and that young people who feel that their family supports them have good quality interactions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)