This 1-year follow-up study investigated the direct and indirect effects of past, anticipated, and actual experiences of inter-group interactions on the development of national identity and attitudes towards the national majority among ethnic re-migrants (N= 141) from Russia to Finland. According to the results, the quality of past inter-group contact in the pre-migration stage (T 1) did not directly affect national identification and out-group attitudes in the post-migration stage (T 2). Instead, the effect of contact quality at T 1 on national identification and out-group attitudes at T 2 was indirect via perceived discrimination and out-group rejection at T 2. In addition, there were two indirect pathways from out-group attitudes at T 1 to national identification and out-group attitudes at T 2, via pleasant contact experiences (further associated with positive out-group attitudes) and via perceived discrimination (further associated with negative attitudes and lower national identification) in the post-migration stage. Anticipated discrimination only had a direct effect on out-group attitudes in the post-migration stage. The results highlight the role of past and anticipated inter-group relations in the formation of post-migration inter-group interactions, which, in turn, are decisive for the formation of national identification and out-group attitudes of re-migrants. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

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Russia perception longitudinal study social psychology Finland Interpersonal Relations psychological aspect minority group Social Identification human Longitudinal Studies middle aged statistics Ethnic Groups ethnic group Aged ethnology human relation Young Adult Humans attitude Minority Groups male female Aged, 80 and over Article adult migration Prejudice Emigration and Immigration Transients and Migrants Russian Federation social behavior