Contextual dissonance refers to a situation in which the individual's social characteristics differ from those of the population by which he is surrounded. Data from a sample of high-school students suggest that children reared in a dissonant religious context are somewhat more likely to have low self-esteem, to manifest psychosomatic symptoms of anxiety, and to experience depressive affect. Experiences of prejudice appear to contribute to these results. Among those in dissonant contexts, children reared in "culturally dissimilar" neighborhoods appear more likely than others to manifests symptoms of emotional disturbance.