Inclusive seeds: a multi-informant approach to disentangle the development of attitudes toward migrant integration policies and the psychosocial adjustment of native Italian and migrant adolescents.

Understanding how adolescents develop positive attitudes toward migrant integration policies is crucial to fostering social cohesion and well-being. This process does not occur in isolation, nor do individual characteristics solely determine it. Instead, it is shaped by various contexts, ranging from the most proximal to the most distal, in which adolescents are embedded. Moreover, studying inclusive orientations should not be limited to the majority ethnic group but should also consider minorities, as both actively participate and have to adjust to contemporary multicultural societies. In light of this, the present dissertation examined the influence of micro- (i.e., family and school) and macro- (i.e., municipality) contexts on the development of inclusive attitudes and the psychosocial adjustment of native Italian and migrant adolescents. Chapter 1 introduced the theoretical framework based on ecological systems theory, while Chapter 2 presented the Attitudes toward Migrant Integration Policies (AMIP) scale, assessing individual and generational differences. Chapter 3 explored the role of the family, highlighting that fathers played a crucial role in shaping majority and minority adolescents' inclusive orientations. Focusing on the school context, Chapters 4 and 5 showed how personal development and the school diversity climate impacted adolescents' inclusiveness and psychosocial adaptation. Regardless of the youth's ethnic background, stable educational identity fostered positive attitudes toward migrant integration policies, while equal treatment by teachers enhanced their adjustment. Chapter 6 examined the impact of ethnic and cultural diversity at the municipal level, showing that a highly diverse context could negatively affect adolescents, both with and without a migrant background, depending on their intergroup experiences. Finally, Chapter 7 summarized key findings, discussing theoretical and practical implications, emphasizing the importance of an ecological approach to fostering adolescent inclusiveness and psychosocial adaptation.