Prospective associations between peer support, academic competence, and anxiety in college students.

Previous literature has demonstrated that peer support is instrumental for the promotion of adaptive academic and mental health outcomes; however, limited research has examined prospective directional associations between peer support and adjustment within college settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal associations between peer support, academic competence, and anxiety among U.S. college students. U.S. students from a diverse 4-year university (N = 251, 75% women, 24% men, and < 1% a different gender) reported on peer support, academic competence, and anxiety using validated questionnaires at two time points (Fall term of sophomore year and Spring term of senior year). Results showed that peer support was positively associated with academic competence over time but was not significantly related to future anxiety. Academic competence did not significantly predict peer support or anxiety over time, but anxiety was associated with lower future academic competence. These findings offer insight into how types of social relationships link with academic motivation and anxiety over time within educational settings.

Early Adolescents' Peer Experiences with Ethnic Diversity in Middle School: Implications for Academic Outcomes.

As the U.S. becomes increasingly ethnically diverse, opportunities for cross-ethnic interaction at school may be increasing, and these interactions may have implications for academic outcomes for both ethnic minority and White youth. The current study examines how cross-ethnic peer relationships, measured using peer nominations for acceptance and daily lunchtime interactions, relate to academic outcomes for an ethnically diverse sample of 823 (45% boys and 55% girls; M age = 11.69) public middle school sixth graders across one Midwestern and two Western states. For White, Black, Asian, Latino/a, and Multiethnic students, self-reported daily cross-ethnic peer interactions were associated with higher end-of-year GPAs in core academic courses and teachers' expectations for educational attainment, but not self-reported school aversion. Making cross-ethnic acceptance nominations was not associated with any academic outcomes. Thus, daily opportunities for cross-ethnic interactions may be important school experiences for early adolescents.