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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 6/2010

Open Access 01-06-2010 | Original Paper

Ethnic density in school classes and adolescent mental health

Authors: Maike Gieling, Wilma Vollebergh, Saskia van Dorsselaer

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 6/2010

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Abstract

Objective

The present study set out to examine the association between ethnic composition of school classes and prevalence of internalising and externalising problem behaviour among ethnic minority and majority students.

Methods

Data were derived from the Dutch 2002 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey, a nationally representative cross-sectional study with a total of 5,730 adolescents, aged 11–18 and attending secondary school, of which 931 belong to ethnic minority groups. The data were analysed using a multilevel regression model.

Results

The study revealed that, after taking individual characteristics like age, gender, educational level and family affluence into account, ethnic minority students on average report higher levels of externalising but not internalising problems. Ethnic density on the level of school classes modified this difference, as a negative association between the proportion ethnic minority students in class and externalising problem behaviour was found, but only for ethnic minority students. No effect of ethnic composition was found with respect to internalising problem behaviour.

Conclusion

The data revealed that ethnic minority students report higher levels of externalising problem behaviour, but only in classes with a minority of ethnic minority students and not in classes with a culturally diverse composition. This points towards a possible beneficial effect of a more culturally diverse environment for minority students. Majority students appeared to be insensitive for the ethnic density effect. Future studies should investigate the role of the ethnic composition of the school class more in-depth.
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Metadata
Title
Ethnic density in school classes and adolescent mental health
Authors
Maike Gieling
Wilma Vollebergh
Saskia van Dorsselaer
Publication date
01-06-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 6/2010
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0105-6

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