The Role of Peers in Predicting Students' Homophobic Behavior: Effects of Peer Aggression, Prejudice, and Sexual Orientation Identity Importance

Abstract.

Drawing from an ecological framework, there has been growing attention on the role of peers in accounting for adolescents' homophobic behavior. In this study, we considered whether individuals' homophobic behavior could be attributed to their peers' collective levels of aggression, sexual prejudice, and importance placed on their sexual orientation identity among 437 high school students (89% White, 61% female, mean age = 15.72 years) in 62 peer groups identified through social network analysis. Using multilevel modeling, we found that individuals in more homophobic and aggressive peer groups engaged in even more homophobic behavior than accounted for based solely on their own individual prejudice attitudes and aggressive behavior. Furthermore, individuals' sexual prejudice was a stronger predictor of their engagement in homophobic behavior for those in groups whose peers collectively placed greater importance on sexual orientation identity and were more aggressive. These findings begin to provide a fuller sense of how individual and peer attributes combine and interact in ways that account for individuals' engagement in homophobic behavior.

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Notes on contributors

V. Paul Poteat

V. Paul Poteat is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology at Boston College. His research examines predictors and consequences of bias-based harassment and prejudice during adolescence. His work also examines the ways in which gay–straight alliances promote resilience among youth and how they flexibly meet the needs of their diverse members.

Ian Rivers

Ian Rivers is a professor within the School of Education at the University of Strathclyde. He has previously held chairs in education and psychology. He is a fellow of the British Psychological Society, the American Psychological Association, and the Academy of Social Sciences.

Olivier Vecho

Olivier Vecho is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université Paris Ouest–Nanterre La Défense (France). His work examines gay and lesbian parenting, including children's development within these families, marriage and parenting of same-sex couples, and attitudes toward gay and lesbian parenting and marriage, as well as homophobic attitudes during adolescence.