Group efficacy as a moderator on the associations between perceived discrimination, acculturation orientations, and psychological well-being

Abstract

We investigated whether associations between perceived discrimination (PD), acculturation orientations (desire for culture maintenance and desire for contact), and well-being (psychological well-being and life satisfaction) were moderated by group efficacy beliefs-the extent to which group members believe in their ability to achieve social change collectively. We recruited 163 Syrian refugees (M-age = 36.43, SD = 12.68; 88 females and 75 males) from a south-eastern city in Turkey. PD was negatively associated with desire for culture maintenance and positively associated with desire for contact, indicating an assimilation trend as a response to PD. Both acculturation orientations in turn predicted well-being positively. However, the ones with higher group efficacy did not experience the detrimental effects of PD on well-being and indicated a stronger desire for contacting mainstream society. Further conditional indirect effects demonstrated that only among the ones with lower group efficacy, PD was related to lower psychological well-being through reduced culture maintenance. Findings indicate the critical role of group efficacy beliefs in the understanding of disadvantaged group members' reactions to PD.