Exploring the interaction between negative and positive intergroup contact among disabled people

Abstract

This study integrates research on intergroup contact and the rejection–identification model to examine how negative and positive contact interact to influence both the health and well-being as well as the group identification (assessed as ingroup affect, ingroup ties, and centrality) of disabled people. We analysed data from a week-long diary study (Study 1; N = 83) and a longitudinal study (Study 2; N = 87) with three waves separated by 1 year. Results showed that positive contact can be associated with a reduction in, or even a cancelling out of, the association between negative contact and lower well-being and ingroup affect (buffering effect). We also found that negative contact was associated with higher ingroup ties only among those with higher levels of positive contact (facilitation effect). Results reveal the potential of positive contact to reduce the adverse effects of negative contact on disadvantaged group members’ outcomes, and its potential to facilitate nonharmful effects.