Introduction: Conidence in one's gender self-concept has been positively associated with subjective well-being. Further, negative consequences for school life have occurred for adolescents with marginalised gender identities. As a central process variable of subjective well-being, life satisfaction has been positively associated with educational outcomes and inversely associated with stress. Stress, life satisfaction, and academic achievement have been examined in terms of gender, but less is known about their relationship with gender self-concept. Importantly, gender self-concept has been rendered especially vulnerable in adolescence-a time when social selfconcept and life satisfaction are reportedly lower than in childhood. Method: The current study was conducted with adolescents (N = 1601) from seven secondary schools comprising a range of socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities, in two major New Zealand metropolitan centres. Data were collected via self-report survey. After checking the validity of each measurement model by using conirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling was performed to explore associations between aspects of gender self-concept, stress, life satisfaction (LS), and perceived academic achievement (PAA). Results: Gender self-deinition (GSD; one's self-deinition of one's own gender identity) was associated positively with stress, and negatively with perceived academic achievement. Gender self-acceptance (GSA; contentment with one's self-deined gender identity) was negatively associated with stress, and positively associated with LS. Both gender self-acceptance and LS were associated positively with PAA. Two stressors mediated the relationship between LS and both GSD and GSA. Conclusion: Implications are suggested for fostering gender-identity safe school environments for adolescents to ensure positive wellbeing and scholastic outcomes.

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INTRODUCTION: Anti-Asian racism was a feature of the social response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and its impact on the well-being of Asian communities warrants closer examination. The current study aimed to gauge whether the sense of belonging mitigated the adverse effects of racism on life satisfaction for self-identified Asian New Zealanders. METHODS: This analysis included 1341 responses to a cross-sectional online survey conducted in 2021. Descriptive analyses outline how components of a sense of belonging were distributed among participants and those who experienced racism during the Covid-19 pandemic. We used linear regression to examine the role of a sense of belonging as a potential pathway variable in the association between experiencing racism and life satisfaction. FINDINGS: In this survey, four out of 10 participants reported experiencing racism in the first 18 months of the pandemic. Participants’ life satisfaction decreased slightly since January 2020 (p<0.001). Experiencing racism was associated with decreased life satisfaction. All the components of sense of belonging reduced the magnitude of this negative association between racism experience and life satisfaction, in particular, expressing one’s own ethnic identity and belonging in Aotearoa. CONCLUSIONS: Given that anti-Asian racism is currently a feature of life and a significant stressor during the pandemic, this study provides empirical evidence of the protective role of a sense of belonging against anti-Asian racism. This study focused on Asian members in Aotearoa New Zealand, but its practical implications have the potential to support other minoritised ethnic communities who also experience racism during the pandemic and beyond.