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Psychological Well-Being and Brokerage in Friendship Networks of Young Swedes

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  • Gerald Mollenhorst
  • Christofer Edling
  • Jens Rydgren

Abstract

All ethnic groups have norms and values according to which one is expected to behave. Immigrants in particular have personal networks that simultaneously consist of co-ethnics and friends of a different ethnic background. As a consequence, they may be accustomed to the behavior, norms, and values of their own ethnic group, and also be expected to behave according to those of another ethnic group. This may either lead to ego-gratification and the strengthening and enrichment of their personality, or to feelings of stress and non-acceptance if they cannot behave fully in accordance with the expectations of their friends. This study addresses the association between interethnic open triads in networks (i.e., brokerage) and individual psychological well-being. That is, we examine whether having intra-ethnic and interethnic relationships with friends who are not also friends with each other, is either positively or negatively associated with psychological well-being. Using (network) data from a large sample (N = 2,942; age = 19) of native Swedes and first- and second-generation immigrants from former Yugoslavia and Iran (all born in 1990 and currently living in Sweden), we show that interethnic brokerage is negatively associated with psychological well-being, which implies that the different norms, values and corresponding behaviors that prevail in different ethnic groups to which the ethnic broker is connected may result in internal and external conflicts, to feelings that one is not fully accepted by any of these groups, and ultimately to a lower level of psychological well-being. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Gerald Mollenhorst & Christofer Edling & Jens Rydgren, 2015. "Psychological Well-Being and Brokerage in Friendship Networks of Young Swedes," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 897-917, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:123:y:2015:i:3:p:897-917
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-014-0766-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chiswick, Barry R & Miller, Paul M, 1996. "Ethnic Networks and Language Proficiency among Immigrants," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 19-35, February.
    2. Christofer Edling & Jens Rydgren, 2012. "Neighborhood and Friendship Composition in Adolescence," SAGE Open, , vol. 2(4), pages 21582440124, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Evgeni Varshaver & Anna Rocheva, 2021. "“Homeland-Rooted” or Acquired in the Receiving Society: How Does the Composition of Migrants’ “Co-Ethnic” Ties Affect Their Patterns of Integration?," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 347-368, March.

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