UCLA

As the population of immigrant-origin adolescents in the United States increases, it is critical to understand the social position these adolescents occupy in school, namely whether they are included and excluded among peers. A well-established body of literature documents that immigrant-origin youth self-report experiencing higher rates of victimization than their non- immigrant counterparts (i.e., of the third generation and beyond). Yet, it is not clear whether the broader peer collective is similarly exclusionary of the immigrant adolescents. Moreover, their positive relationships (i.e., social inclusion) remain unexamined insofar as identifying which peers are most socioemotionally supportive across the adolescent years. The current dissertation aimed to examine these questions across two studies, examining the positive and negative peer relations of immigrant-origin youth from multiple perspectives, over the three years of middle school. Study 1 examined several indicators of peer inclusion and social exclusion mainly from the perspective of peers. It was found that while immigrant-origin youth are just as socially included by peers as their non-immigrant counterparts, they are significantly more neglected iii (i.e., ignored) among the peer landscape. Immigrant-origin youth were no more likely to be perceived as a “victim” at school than non-immigrant youth. However, immigrant adolescents self-reported significantly more victimization than non-immigrants, highlighting a key discrepancy between peer and self-perceptions of social exclusion. Study 2 focused specifically on friendships from the immigrant youths’ perspective to identify the demographic characteristics (i.e., racial/ethnic background, immigrant generational status) of their friends, as well as the quality and duration. The analyses aimed to test the hypothesis that friendships with other immigrant-origin peers would be highest in quality and duration, relative to friendships with non-immigrant peers. Analyses revealed a significant tendency among immigrant-origin youth to befriend other immigrant-origin peers. While immigrant-origin youths’ friendships with immigrant-origin peers were similar in quality to their friendships with non-immigrants, the friendships with immigrant peers were significantly greater in duration regardless of friend race/ethnicity. The findings demonstrate the importance of befriending similar others who understand the immigrant experience. Together, the dissertation studies contribute to a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the social position and social relationships of immigrant-origin youth during the early adolescent period. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.