Let the racism tell you who your friends are: The effects of racism on social connections and life-satisfaction for Multiracial people

Multiracial people in the United States do not fit into traditional racial groups and are thus thought to be at increased risk of social isolation. The current study examines the contributions of racial and Multiracial-specific discrimination in predicting Multiracial people’s social connections to people of various racial groups. Also examined is whether relationships between these types of discrimination and life-satisfaction are explained by friendship and community satisfaction. Results indicated that racial and Multiracial-specific discrimination each related to decreased feelings of commonality and acceptance among White people. As Multiracial people experienced more racial discrimination, they generally reported having more in common with, but less acceptance from, racial groups of color. As Multiracial people reported more racial or Multiracial-specific discrimination, they reported lower proportions of White friends and higher proportions of Multiracial friends. Relationships between racial discrimination and life-satisfaction were partially explained by community satisfaction whereas relationships between Multiracial discrimination and life-satisfaction were fully explained by decreased community satisfaction.