This study explored the roles of demographic variables, grade point average, centrality (an aspect of racial identity), and student-professor interactions in predicting academic self-concept. A convenience sample of 132 African American students (104 females and 28 males) ranging in age from 18 to 38 (Mage = 26), attending a historically Black university completed an online questionnaire assessing demographic information, grade point average, an aspect of racial identity from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, student-professor interactions, and academic self-concept. Results showed that grade point average and student-professor interactions characterized by faculty’s level of care were significant factors in predicting academic self-concept. These relationships may be important for understanding salient factors that influence the academic self-concept in African American college students.
Past work suggests African American college students may be a segment of the college population at heightened risk for anxiety and depressive symptoms; however, there remains an overarching need to broaden our understanding of individual difference variables that may be related to adverse emotional states. The purpose of the present study was to test a theoretically driven interactive model of two individual difference variables (anxiety sensitivity and emotional nonacceptance) in relation to anxiety and depressive symptoms among 133 African American undergraduate students (76.7% female, Mage = 20.9, SD = 5.6; age range = 18-53 years). Results indicated that anxiety sensitivity was positively associated with anxious arousal symptoms at higher levels of emotional nonacceptance (β = 2.1), and more strongly associated with depressive symptoms among individuals endorsing low levels of emotional nonacceptance (β = 3.8). The present data provide novel evidence suggesting there is clinically relevant interplay between anxiety sensitivity and emotional nonacceptance. These findings aid in better understanding the expression of anxiety and depressive symptoms among this population and may represent transdiagnostic constructs of relevance for early intervention.
Although the media are believed to be instrumental in transmitting messages about both traditional femininity and Black femininity to Black youth, there is little empirical evidence documenting this process. Accordingly, this study investigated media contributions to Black college students’ endorsement of both traditional gender ideologies and of the Jezebel, Sapphire, and Strong Black woman stereotypes about Black women. The protective nature of ethnic identity was also examined. Participants (N = 404) completed measures assessing media consumption and involvement, endorsement of traditional gender ideologies and stereotypes about Black women, and ethnic identity. Regression analyses revealed support for our hypotheses, with consumption of music videos, movies, and perceived realism contributing most strongly to students’ endorsement of traditional gender ideologies and stereotypes about Black women. However, students with a strong sense of ethnic belonging were buffered from many of the negative influences of media use on these gender beliefs. The findings highlight the importance of considering culture-specific ideologies when examining links between Black students’ media use and gender beliefs.
Objective: Rurally situated African Americans suffer from stress and drug-related health disparities. Unfortunately, research on potential mechanisms that underlie this public health problem have received limited focus in the scientific literature. This study investigated the physiological impact of nicotine and alcohol use on dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) functioning, a biomarker previously linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal functioning. Method: A rural sample of African American emerging adults (n = 84) completed a battery of assessments and provided six samples of salivary DHEA at wakeup, 30 minutes postwakeup, 90 minutes postwakeup, 3:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. Results: Participants had more DHEA on waking as a function of smoking greater number of cigarettes throughout the day. Although this effect was not replicated with increased levels of alcohol consumption, the interaction between cigarette and alcohol use was associated with increased levels of DHEA on waking. Conclusion: While use of a single substance (i.e., cigarettes) was related to higher DHEA and greater hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation, the addition of a second substance (i.e., alcohol) shifted the individual toward the hyperactive arousal profile common within chronically stressed or challenged populations. These findings support the need to further investigate the relationship between polysubstance use and physiological functioning that may be linked to known health disparities in the African American community.
The Cognitive Style Questionnaire (CSQ), an expansion of the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), was created as an enhanced measure of cognitive vulnerability to depression using a hopelessness theory framework. However, the CSQ’s development emphasized facets of cognitive vulnerability consistent with a Eurocentric worldview. Consequently, the CSQ may inadvertently degrade rather than enhance assessment of cognitive vulnerability to depression for Black participants whose vulnerability may be shaped by a different sociopolitical context. Participants were 259 White and 180 Black college students. As predicted, cognitive vulnerability to depression assessed via the reformulated learned helplessness (ASQ) but not hopelessness theory (CSQ) was associated with increased symptoms of depression for Black participants. The opposite pattern of results was found for White participants for whom hopelessness (CSQ), but not helplessness (ASQ) was associated with higher levels of depression symptoms. The current findings support the need for more extensive examination of social context and race in assessing cognitive vulnerability to depression.
With individuals of mixed African heritage increasingly identifying as Biracial, it is important to determine whether Black people continue to perceive Biracial people as members of their community. The status of Biracial individuals within the Black community has implications for the political power of the Black community and also for Biracial individuals’ racial identity development and well-being. Thus, the purpose of this study was to create a psychometrically sound measure to assess the degree to which Black people accept Biracial people as members of the Black community: the Biracial Group Membership Scale. Factor analyses were conducted with 328 Black adults. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors: Rejection of Biracial People and Forced Black Identity. A confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the initial factor structure. The scale related to the Attitudes Toward Multiracial Children Scale, essentialism, and items assessing interactions with Biracial individuals. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications are discussed.
The present study examined the relationship between religious capital and depressive symptoms and the moderating role of the Big Five personality constructs in a national sample of African American adults. Data were collected from a national probability sample of 803 African American men and women using a telephone survey including measures of the Big Five personality traits, religious capital, and depressive symptomology. Most interestingly, there was evidence for Personality x Religious Capital interactions on depressive symptomology. Higher religious capital was related to lower depressive symptomology among persons with low conscientiousness or low openness to experience. However, religious capital was less related to depressive symptoms among those with high conscientiousness or high openness. This study reinforces the importance of examining the moderating effects of personality and perceived religious capital in understanding mental health outcomes. This information can be of use to practitioners in designing culturally appropriate interventions, including the use of capital from faith-based organizations.
Previous research suggests racial identity and racial cues, such as the extent to which an event is blatantly or ambiguously race-related, individually shape African American (AA) individuals’ experiences with racial discrimination (RD). However, scant attention has been paid to the interactive or transactional influences of these factors. The present study examined the direct effects of racial cues and the interactive effects of racial cues and racial identity—specifically, the extent to which AAs believe others view AAs negatively—on 78 AAs’ interpretations of and affective responses to lab-based RD. Findings revealed a direct effect of racial cues on participants’ perceptions of the event as being race-relevant and on participants’ affect. Moreover, racial identity moderated the associations between racial cues and participants’ perceptions and affective responses. These findings suggest that AAs’ experiences with RD are not homogeneous and that the interplay or transaction between racial cues and racial identity is vital in such experiences.
Researchers consistently have supported the notion that African American women experience greater body satisfaction and are less likely to engage in unhealthy restrictive eating practices due to broader and more flexible body image norms in the African American community. Yet empirical evidence also suggests that African American women experience high rates of binge-eating behaviors and obesity. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence body image norms, eating practices, and overall appearance of African American women aged 25 years and older. Using consensual qualitative research as the guiding method, 11 semistructured interviews were conducted with African American women who self-identified as struggling with body and weight concerns. Five domains were identified: (a) participants’ perceptions of their body image, (b) challenges with body image, (c) participants’ perceptions of eating attitudes and behaviors, (d) role of food, and (e) perceptions of overall appearance. Implications for research and practice are included.
This brief report examines African American children’s and caregivers’ exposure to stressors and perceived support in relation to children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Forty-six children aged 8 to 12 years and their primary caregivers were recruited from an urban school in the Midwestern United States and interviewed separately. Adjusting for child’s age and gender, caregiver’s gender, and number of caregivers in the family, child-reported stressful life events were associated with child-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms. When children reported greater support from caregivers, children reported fewer externalizing symptoms and caregivers reported fewer oppositional behaviors and ADHD symptoms on the part of their child. Caregivers’ health- and relationship-related stressors were associated with child-reported externalizing symptoms, as well as caregiver-reported ADHD symptoms. Family-based mental health services within schools and communities may improve caregiver and child support systems, reduce caregiver-child conflict, and promote resilience to stress among urban, low-income African American families.
Suicide is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among women. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and intimate partner violence are significant risk factors for suicidal ideation among women. The purpose of this study was to examine the interrelationships among these three constructs and test if intimate partner sexual coercion may explain the CSA–suicidal ideation link. African American women (N = 141) completed an assessment of childhood trauma, intimate partner sexual coercion, and suicide ideation. A significant positive correlation was found between CSA and sexual coercion, between CSA and suicidal ideation, and between sexual coercion and suicidal ideation. Also, intimate partner sexual coercion was found to mediate the relationship between CSA and suicidal ideation when controlling for covariates such as spiritual well-being, self-esteem, and barriers to services. The association between CSA and suicidal ideation may be explained by sexual revictimization in the context of an intimate relationship among African American women. Clinically, practitioners should engage in regular screening for suicide ideation among African American women who have experienced CSA and intimate partner sexual coercion.
This study investigated comorbidity and hoarding symptoms in a sample of African American adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (N = 75). For lifetime disorders, 87.9% of participants had at least one other comorbid condition. The most prevalent comorbidities were mood disorders (67.1%), anxiety disorders (51.4%), and substance abuse disorders (38.0%). There was low comorbidity with eating disorders, as only 4.1% had binge-eating disorder and none met criteria for anorexia or bulimia nervosa. In terms of gender differences, females were more likely to have posttraumatic stress disorder and males were more likely to have a comorbid alcohol use disorder. Over half of the participants had hoarding compulsions (56.0%) as indicated by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. Individuals with hoarding compulsions were more likely to have comorbid anxiety-related disorders than those without, and experienced greater indecisiveness, pathological slowness, and doubting; they also had less education and earning power than those without these behaviors. African Americans with obsessive-compulsive disorder tend to have high rates of comorbid disorders, with patterns that resemble findings in non-Hispanic White populations.
Racial discrimination is a ubiquitous experience for Black adolescents; it has been linked to poorer psychological outcomes including higher depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem. However, the mechanisms through which racial discrimination is associated with psychological well-being are still not well understood, particularly among Black early adolescents. The current study investigated two dimensions of racial discrimination: racial discrimination frequency (RDfreq) and racial discrimination stress (RDstress). Specifically, we explored the prevalence of RDfreq and RDstress among Black youth and whether RDstress mediated the association between RDfreq and psychological well-being. Seventy-four Black middle school students (68.1% female; mean age = 12.1) completed self-report questionnaires assessing RDfreq, RDstress, depression, and self-esteem; 72 were included in the final analyses. Mediation analyses were conducted using bootstrapping. Ninety percent of the sample reported experiencing some type of racial discrimination and 99% reported that these experiences bothered them. Controlling for age, gender, and ethnicity, RDstress partially mediated the relationship between RDfreq and depression. Study findings elucidate one pathway in which racial discrimination influences psychological well-being.
The purpose of this study was to understand if special education labels are accurate for Black children. The study examined differences in academic achievement growth trajectories of children diagnosed with learning and intellectual disabilities. Utilizing the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study database, a nationally representative sample of students with disabilities, results indicated that significant differences in academic trajectories were present between children who were diagnosed with learning and intellectual disabilities. However, between-group racial differences were evident in academic categories and growth rates. While special education programs are touted to be helpful for student development, these results suggest that Black students are not getting the equal treatment, instruction, and academic benefits as their peers. Consequently, more academic intervention resources should be aimed at Black students to increase their academic growth rates. Implications are discussed in terms of assessment practices for identifying Black children for special education.
Objectives: The first goal was to examine whether race-related stress was associated with depression in Black immigrants, as has been found in African Americans. The second goal was to determine whether intergroup relations identity factors—Black immigrants’ shared racial fate or sense of belonging with African Americans—were related to depression, above and beyond race-related stress. Third, we examined if Black immigrants’ shared racial fate or a sense of belonging with African Americans moderated the relationship between race-related stress and depression. Method: Data were collected from 110 individuals who identified as first- or second-generation Black immigrants. Results: Greater race-related stress was related to higher depression. Greater endorsement of a sense of belonging with African Americans was related to lower depression over and above the influence of race-related stress; this was not the case for shared racial fate, which was not associated with depression. Neither shared racial fate nor a sense of belonging with African Americans moderated the association between race-related stress and depression. Intergroup relations facilitate our understanding of well-being in immigrant populations.
Few studies have examined adolescents’ understanding of romantic relationship commitment, particularly among African American youth. Using three waves of semistructured interviews, the present descriptive study addresses this topic by exploring the ways in which 20 African American adolescents (age range 13-19 years) from low-income backgrounds conceptualize and describe commitment in romantic relationships. Qualitative analyses revealed three main themes related to defining commitment, indicating that which commitment provides, and describing the nature of commitment in different relationship contexts. Findings inform psychological research and practice relating to commitment and romantic relationships among African American adolescents.
The present research studied reparation demands of born-free Black South African adolescents as members of a former victimized group from a social psychological perspective. Two cross-sectional studies tested whether identification indirectly predicts reparation demands via assignment of collective guilt to White South Africans; and whether this indirect relation is moderated by cross-group friendship. The results support both hypotheses and show a stronger link between identification with the victimized group and collective guilt assignment in a segregated rather than a desegregated context (Study 1: N = 222) and for participants reporting lower levels of cross-group friendship (Study 2: N = 145). Reparation demands are important for strongly identified members of a victimized group in a postconflict situation. Their mediation by collective guilt assignment, mitigated by cross-group friendship, indicates that one major function is to insure recognition of the victims’ past suffering and to repair the relationship rather than ostracizing the transgressor group or gaining access to resources.
As understood in mainstream Western psychology, people dream for themselves and are essentially self-contained in their overall mechanism of dreaming. This article argues that although this Eurocentric perspective on dreaming is largely universal and not to be ignored, it needs to be recognized alongside other dream perspectives. The article examines the concept of dreaming from an African perspective. Its aim is to demonstrate that dreaming from an African psychological perspective goes beyond the Eurocentric paradigm suggesting that in the African-centered paradigm, the individual can dream for others. In the African perspective, there, at times, occurs the phenomenon of triangulation in dreaming where dreams originate from another source to give messages to the individual for the benefit of others. The article presents three anecdotes and some resulting implications that highlight descriptive elements of African dream theory. A number of questions for further reflections and research emanating from the discussion are highlighted.
Using a person-centered approach, we examine phenomenological variations in exposure to violence for Black males and describe risk and protective factors associated with patterns of violence exposure. We ran K-means iterative cluster analysis to determine patterns of violence exposure and conducted analysis of variance to test whether clusters differed. Data are from 287 Black males (M = 18.9) who participated in the Black Youth Project–Youth Culture Survey. Participants in the current study self-identified as Black or African American and male, and completed the political participation, health, and demographic portions of the survey questionnaire. We found four clusters of violence exposure that were related to demographic characteristics, maternal closeness, neighborhood condition, and sociopolitical inequity. Our findings highlight the heterogeneity of exposure to violence among young Black males and the individual and environmental risk and protective factors that are related to types and levels of exposure. This examination of quality of violence exposure in the context of available risks and protective factors may help clinicians and researchers improve their intervention efforts.
Using the organizing framework of Ruble, Martin, and Berenbaum (2006), we summarized literature on gender development in African American youth within six content areas: biological/categorical sex, activities and interests, personal-social attributes, social relationships, styles and symbols, and values regarding gender. Results with African Americans were compared with what is known about gender processes in other U.S. racial groups, and gaps in the literature were noted. Finally, we summarized the literature on socialization influences on gender development in African American youth, focusing particularly on parents and media. Our review shows that gender, along with race, plays a significant role in the development of African American youth, with many of these processes similar to what is found in youth of other racial/ethnic groups. Contextual factors such as family structure and racial context are important to take into account to best understand individual differences in the gender development of Black youth.
Positive youth development is critical for African American youth as they negotiate a social, political, and historical landscape grounded in systemic inequities and racism. One possible, yet understudied, approach to promote positive youth development is to increase African American youth consciousness and connection to their Africentric values and culture. The primary purpose of this article was to investigate the degree to which cultural and group consciousness factors (i.e., cultural orientation, Africentric values, and racial socialization) predicted positive youth development (i.e., future orientation, prosocial behavior, political/community, and social justice/equality civic mindedness) and how these might differ by gender. This article utilized survey data from 1,930 African American youth participants of the Pen or Pencil™ mentoring program. Results generally indicated that cultural orientation, Africentric values and, to a lesser degree, racial socialization, predicted positive youth development variables, with these effects varying by gender. These findings suggest that enhancing cultural consciousness may support the positive development of African American youth, although male and female youth may respond to these efforts in different ways.
Gender role beliefs of African American women differ from those of women in other ethnic/racial groups and a culturally valid measure of their gender role beliefs is needed. Three studies were conducted to develop a preliminary measure. In Study 1, focus groups were conducted with a community and college sample of 44 African American women. Transcripts reviewed resulted in an initial pool of 40 items. These items were reviewed by an expert panel and 18 items were retained. In Study 2, an exploratory factor analysis was computed with data from 94 African American female college students. The 18 items were included along with measures to assess convergent and discriminant validity. Nine items were retained. These nine items comprised two subscales labeled Agency and Caretaking. The scales demonstrated good internal consistency and convergent and discriminant validity. In Study 3, a confirmatory factor analysis was computed with a different sample of 184 African American female college students. The confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable fit for the two-factor structure of Agency and Caretaking.
This study examines whether subgroups of Black youth exist based on the presence or absence of racial discrimination experiences in the school context and whether these groups varied by gender and household income. Latent transition analyses were performed on racial discrimination indicators derived when youth were in the 8th and 11th grades. Three distinct subgroups of youth emerged. Youth in the Teacher-Peer Perceived Racial Discrimination (PRD) group had a high probability of experiencing racial discrimination from both teachers and peers. Those in the Teacher PRD group had high probabilities of experiencing racial discrimination from teachers and a low probability of experiencing racial discrimination from their peers. Finally, youth in the No PRD group had low probabilities across all racial discrimination indicators. Males were more likely to be in the Teacher-Peer and Teacher PRD groups compared with females. Findings demonstrate the heterogeneity of Black youth’s experiences as it relates to race-related stress and several avenues for future research are identified.
Understanding the primary triggers of anxiety for African Americans, and the cultural factors associated with these triggers, can enhance our knowledge of emotional responding in African Americans and can ultimately influence how we assess and treat anxiety disorders in this population. In the current study, we investigated the experience of anxiety for African Americans following physical stressors, with an emphasis on cardiovascular arousal. Specifically, anxious responding, following cardiovascular arousal, other physical stressors, and a control task, was evaluated among African American (n = 23) and European American (n = 23) groups on affective, cognitive, and physiological measures of anxiety. Findings suggest physical stressors in general (as opposed to cardiovascular arousal specifically) may be a prominent trigger of anxiety for African Americans. Discussion centers on the idea that the observed relationship between anxiety and physical stressors for African Americans may stem from a cultural sense of vulnerability regarding physical disease.
This study examined the psychometric properties of a revised version of the Colonial Mentality Scale in a sample Ghanaian young adults (CMS-G; N = 431). In addition, the degree to which mental health and self- and group-concept was effected by internalized notions of colonial mentality was assessed. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to evaluate the underlying factor structure of the CMS-G. The findings indicated that the CMS-G produced a four-factor orthogonal model as best representing the construct of colonial mentality among Ghanaian young adults. CMS-G scores correlated in the anticipated direction with self-esteem, collective self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Additional analyses indicated that Ghanaian young adults endorsed colonial mentality items associated with physical characteristics and colonial debt with a higher frequency than other CMS-G items. Men endorsed colonial debt items statistically significantly more than women. Implications for the study’s findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented.
This study examined the predictor and moderator effects of ego resilience and mindfulness on the relationship between academic stress and psychological well-being in a sample of Ghanaian college students (N = 431). The results indicated that academic stress was positively associated with both anxiety and depression and that mindfulness and ego resilience were both negatively associated with anxiety and depression. Mindfulness buffered the positive relationship between academic stress and depression but not anxiety. In contrast, ego resilience buffered the positive relationship between academic stress and anxiety but not depression. Implications for the study’s findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are presented.
Only a handful of empirical investigations have identified culturally salient markers of suicide risk within samples of African American young adults. To address this gap, our study examined the intercorrelations among cultural congruity, defectiveness schemas, and multiple indices of suicide risk for African American (n = 207) and European American (n = 208) students attending a primary White institution. Cultural congruity was negatively associated with reports of interpersonal and behavioral suicide risk for both African and European American students. However, ethnic differences in the magnitude of these relationships emerged. Specifically, as predicted, for African Americans, lower levels of cultural congruity were more strongly related to greater interpersonal factors associated with a desire to die. Finally, the relationships between cultural congruity and multiple indices of suicide risk were partially mediated by defectiveness schemas for both African and European American students, suggesting a useful intervention target for students. These results also have implications for suicide screening, prevention, and intervention strategies directed toward African American students.
Building on the early work of Frantz Fanon, we explored the concept of recognition as an aspect of Black racial identity or the degree of being seen by others and ourselves as equal or morally worthy persons deserving respect. We collected 64 racial life narratives with self-identified Black adults in four contexts: Australia, Bermuda, South Africa, and the United States. We uncovered a core theme of Global Recognition or the desire to be seen as complex Black individuals with rich, diverse lives and innate value as human beings. Two main themes emerged that either promoted (i.e., Racial Recognition and Acceptance) or hindered this sense of Global Recognition (i.e., Lack of Racial Recognition and Acceptance). Each of these themes consisted of two subthemes. In addition, participants described four types of behaviors designed to achieve Global Recognition: Challenging Oppression, Competition, Self-Affirmation, and Racial Performance.
This study examined the associations between individual, institutional, and cultural race-related stress and somatic and cognitive anxiety. We adopted a risk and resilience framework to investigate the protective role of optimism and religious involvement in the race-related stress-anxiety link. A total of 171 African American young adults completed measures of race-related stress, optimism, religious involvement, and anxiety symptomatology. Institutional race-related stress was positively associated with cognitive and somatic anxiety. Optimism moderated the association between individual race-related stress and cognitive anxiety. Religious involvement enhanced the protective function of optimism in the association between individual and cultural race-related stress and cognitive anxiety. These results illustrate the utility of a multidimensional framework for understanding the impact of race-related stress on anxiety symptomatology. Moreover, the pattern of findings suggests that high religious involvement and high optimism may produce the most advantageous outcomes with respect to the association between race-related stress and anxiety in African American young adults.
Having social support substantially reduces the effects of stressful experiences. Family relationships are central components of social support for African Americans. In a community-based sample of African Americans (n = 255), the relationship between family functioning and stress was examined, as well as possible mediators of this relationship, independent of demographic variables. Using multiple regression analysis, close and flexible family relationships were linked to lower perceived stress levels. The association of family functioning and stress operated through the internal processes of anxiety, depression, daily hassles, and higher hardiness and explained more than half of the variance in stress levels. These findings also remained above and beyond the known stressor of discrimination and the known stress reducer of spirituality. These findings suggest that expanding traditional stress management programs to include strategies for bolstering family functioning could have significant benefits.
The purpose of this study was to examine three forms of race-related stress (i.e., cultural, institutional, and individual) and six racial identity dimensions (i.e., Pre-Encounter Assimilation, Miseducation, and Self-Hatred, Immersion-Emersion Anti-White, and Internalization Afrocentricity and Multiculturalist Inclusive) as predictors of involvement in African American activism in a sample of 185 African American undergraduate women and men. When examined concurrently, these race-related variables accounted for more than one fourth of the variance in involvement in African American activism scores. Results indicated that cultural race-related stress, Immersion-Emersion Anti-White, Internalization Afrocentricity, and Internalization Multiculturalist Inclusive were the only significant and unique positive predictors of involvement in African American activism. In addition, Internalization Afrocentricity attitudes mediated the cultural race-related stress -> activism link and both Immersion-Emersion Anti-White and Internalization Afrocentricity attitudes mediated the institutional race-related stress -> activism link.
The acting White accusation is a negative insult that many Black students encounter from peers, and research suggests that these experiences may be potentially detrimental to psychosocial outcomes. The current study examined the relationship between specific aspects of the acting White accusation (e.g., frequency of occurrence, induced discomfort), racial/ethnic identity (e.g., racial regard, exploration, commitment), and mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms, anxiety, emotional stress). Data from a sample of Black college students (n = 198) were evaluated using both variable-centered and person-centered analytical techniques. Results indicated that frequency of the accusation predicted lower racial/ethnic identity and more severe mental health symptoms, whereas the level of discomfort predicted higher racial/ethnic identification. Latent class analysis revealed that perceived experiences with the acting White accusation were represented by four distinct profiles, three of which differed significantly in dimensions of racial/ethnic identity. Findings suggest that the accusation of acing White is perceived differently by individual Black students and carries a distinctive risk for psychosocial outcomes.
The present study provides valuable insight into African American youths’ ego-identity and wisdom development. The study examines the relationship between wisdom dimensions (cognitive, affective, and reflective) and ego-identity statuses (achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion), and age and gender differences among 198 African American college students (age 18-25 years). The study also examines how self-esteem and resilience are related to wisdom and ego-identity. The results show that (a) age contributes to reflective and affective dimensions of wisdom, (b) there is no association between identity achievement and wisdom, (c) moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion are negatively associated with wisdom, (d) gender does not predict wisdom, but does affect foreclosure and diffusion, (e) reflective and affective wisdom are related to resilience and self-esteem, and (f) both resilience and self-esteem are related to identity achievement. This study provides insight into the importance of fostering reflective and affective abilities for holistic development among young African Americans.
Despite federal focus on reducing mental health disparities for Black Americans, mental health disparities persist, resulting in reduced access to and benefit from mental health care. Amid calls for deeper examination of etiology, the current literature review introduces discrimination in the form of microaggressions at the institutional level as one changeable systemic cause for mental health disparities. In combining the mental health disparity and microaggression literatures, I first review the evidence regarding prevalence and contributing factors for current mental health disparities and microaggressions. Next, I examine the potential contributing role that microaggressions as a form of institutional betrayal within mental health care may play in perpetuating these disparities. Finally, I review implications regarding the particular role of mental health care systems, the field of psychology in general, and Black American psychologists specifically in systematically reducing mental health disparities for Black Americans.
Membership associations for African-centered scholars, activists, and practitioners are viewed as relational communities that respond to the dynamic interplay of the needs and talents of its members. In this case study, quantitative methods examined, at the individual level, the role of psychological sense of community (PSOC), worldview, professional self-growth potential (PsGP), and participation of members in one membership association that espouses African-centered values. Data were collected via online and paper-and-pencil surveys administered at the organization’s annual conference. Findings indicated that for the entire sample age, PSOC and PsGP were significantly correlated with membership participation. While membership participation was unrelated to a shared worldview, factors that predicted it varied by membership status (student and nonstudent) and gender. For the student sample, PsGP was predictive of membership participation, but gender differences were undetected. However, for the nonstudent sample, age and PSOC were predictive of membership participation; but for males, only age was a significant predictor. Findings are discussed in relation to those factors that contribute to fostering active participation within membership associations for African-centered scholars.
Positive body image, such as body appreciation or acceptance, has gone largely unexamined in women of color in comparison with more pathological body attitudes. In an effort to promote and extend positive body image research, this study examined the reliability and validity of the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS) in Black college women, as well as the relation between ethnic identity and body appreciation. Participants were 228 Black college women (M age = 19.89, SD = 4.57). The relation between BAS scores and measures of appearance evaluation, self-esteem, Western beauty ideal internalization, eating disordered behavior, and teasing was examined to investigate convergent and divergent validity. Results supported the construct validity of this measure. Similar to previous research, a confirmatory factor analysis supported a unidimensional factor structure. Ethnic identity was moderately, positively associated with body appreciation. Western beauty ideal internalization mediated the relation between ethnic identity and eating, weight, and shape concerns. Overall, findings support the use of the BAS with Black college women.
Studies suggest that racial identity, race of the perpetrator, and prior race-related experiences influence responses to racial discrimination. This study employed a visual imagery paradigm to examine how racial centrality (or the significance of one’s race), perpetrator race, and the racial composition of one’s primary community were associated with mood responses to racial discrimination vignettes. Participants were 129 self-identified African American young adults (55% female) recruited from a southeastern university in the United States. Participants completed measures of sociodemographic characteristics and racial centrality and rated their mood following exposure to vignettes consisting of blatant and subtle discrimination with Black and White actors. Individuals with higher racial centrality endorsed greater anger and disgust and had stronger overall mood ratings following the subtle discrimination condition. Also, participants reported significantly higher levels of distress and disgust when the perpetrator was White. These results suggest that individual and situational factors help shape affective responses to discrimination. We discuss implications of the findings and highlight being connected to one’s racial identity as a healthy psychological response to racism.
This study describes the relative influence of facial skin color, lifetime exposure to racial discrimination, chronic stress, and traditional prehypertension risk factors (family history of hypertension and age) on resting blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) among 196 southern African American (AA) female undergraduate students. Stepwise regression analyses indicated that skin color was the strongest predictor of systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and BMI. Skin color, chronic stress, and family history of hypertension predicted 53% of the SBP variance. Skin color, chronic stress, and family history of hypertension predicted 30.2% of the DBP variance. Racism and age were not significant predictors of SBP or DBP. Of the variance in BMI, 33% was predicted by skin color, chronic stress, and racism. Age and family history of hypertension were not predictors of BMI. The current study provides evidence of the relationship of skin color and chronic stress to blood pressure among young southern AA women. The study identifies an important relationship between increased racial stress exposure and heavier BMIs, a predictor of prehypertensive risk.
The present study examined the association between racial identity and patterns of emotional responses to blatant and subtle racial discrimination vignettes in a sample of 129 African American college students. Using latent profile analyses, we identified eight patterns of emotional responses to the scenarios. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that racial identity was associated with these response patterns. Specifically, private and public regard were related to profiles in the blatant condition, while private regard, centrality, and nationalist ideology were related to profiles in the subtle condition. These findings suggest that there are varied ways in which African American youth respond emotionally to discrimination and that the significance and meaning that one places on race may affect these responses.
Racial microaggressions are often unintentional and subtle forms of racism that manifest in interpersonal communications, behaviors, or environments. The purpose of this study was to explore the presence of racial microaggressions within domestic violence shelters and to understand how women respond to them. Using a phenomenological approach to data collection and analysis, 14 Black women from 3 different shelters were interviewed. Twelve women reported experiencing at least one racial microaggression, although few identified the experience as racist. Additional themes were also examined to understand why women did not identify their experiences of racial microaggressions as racist. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
School engagement is an important contributor to students’ academic success; however, the available literature on the school engagement of Black immigrants is limited. This study examined the associations between school engagement, perceived ethnic discrimination, ethnic identity, and American identity in a sample of first- and second-generation immigrants of African descent. A total of 125 Cape Verdean high school students (aged 13-19 years) participated in the study. Results indicate that American identity moderated the association between perceived ethnic discrimination and school engagement. American identity buffered the effect of perceived ethnic discrimination on engagement in school. The findings highlight the need to consider Black immigrant students’ identification with American culture in developing interventions aimed at enhancing school engagement.
Using extensive African American community input, Black researchers developed the Behavioral Assessment for Children of African Heritage (BACAH). Information regarding its strength dimensions is published but not its behavioral and emotional problem scales. Rational (i.e., expert opinion and mathematical) procedures grouped BACAH problem item responses from 1,465 youth, parent, and teacher informants into eight cross-informant scales labeled Anxiety-, Attention/Hyperactive-, Conduct-, Depression-, Hypomania/Mania-, Oppositional-Defiance-, Self-Destructive-, and Reality-Contact-Problems. Data analyses showed no response bias across child gender, socioeconomic status, or age groupings, but bias emerged across informant type, referral status, and rating scale type (i.e., presence and magnitude vs. concern levels regarding problems). Item linking reduced this bias. Items on each BACAH scale discriminate well for problem levels they assess and capably measure children’s problem levels, ranging from moderately below to above the mean. This study’s foundation and findings provide professionals and their test respondents with culturally valid, user friendly, economical, and highly flexible, clinical/research tools to assess Black children’s functioning.
Scholars maintain that with greater length of residence, the U.S. context adversely affects Black immigrants (e.g., via racism-related stress). Yet, the psychological mechanisms that account for increases in racism-related stress over time are unclear. Racial identity scholarship provides reason to suspect Black immigrants’ racial identities may partially explain these increases. In this study, Black Americans and Black Caribbean immigrants (N = 171) responded to measures of cultural racism–related stress and the "identity" (importance of racial group membership to the self-concept) component of racial identity. We expected identity importance to (a) positively predict cultural racism–related stress for both populations and (b) mediate the association between length of residence and cultural racism–related stress in Black Caribbean immigrants. Although no significant mean difference in identity importance existed between groups, identity predicted cultural racism–related stress only in Black Americans. In Black Caribbean immigrants, identity was not a mediator, but length of residence positively predicted cultural racism–related stress. Differences in results across the two populations may indicate important distinctions in racial identity function between Black Caribbean immigrants and Black Americans.
Underutilization of mental health resources is a well-documented problem. Little is known about the help-seeking attitudes of Jamaican adolescents. The aim of this study was to examine predictors of psychological help-seeking attitudes among Jamaican adolescents (N = 339). The individual determinants of health service utilization model suggests that several factors contribute to health care attitudes and utilization, including illness factors (beliefs about etiology of mental health issues and level of somatization), predisposing factors (gender, age, and opinions about mental illness), and enabling factors (socioeconomic status and geographical location). Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results indicated that for this population, predisposing factors predict attitudes toward seeking professional mental health care. Specifically, increased age, decreased authoritarian beliefs, and increased benevolence predicted more positive attitudes toward seeking psychological help. After controlling for gender, these predisposing factors accounted for 14.6% of the variance. Interestingly, neither illness factors nor enabling factors predicted help-seeking attitudes. Practical implications for public health policy, education, and stigma reduction programs are discussed.
The influence of religiosity and spirituality on psychological well-being was examined among a sample of 167 Black American women in this web-based study. Findings suggest direct links between both religiosity and spirituality and psychological well-being. Moreover, results from bootstrapping procedures indicated that spirituality fully mediated the relation between religiosity and global mental health and between religiosity and life satisfaction. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Using a nationally representative diverse sample of 10- to 17-year-old youth, this study explores Black youths’ Internet use, communication patterns, behavior, and victimization experiences via Internet and cell phone. Findings yielded a number of differences between Black and non-Black youth, with Black youth using the Internet with more intensity and being more likely to gain access via cell phone. Notable within-group differences emerged, including the increased rates of sexual victimization and being sent sexual images via text for girls. With age, participants tend to communicate with more people they met online. In addition, the adolescent developmental task of exploring sexuality becomes more pronounced in the 13 to 15 and 16 to 17 age groups.
Data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort, were used to examine the relation between father-reported depression, stress, and father involvement in a large, nationally representative sample of African American fathers (N = 784). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that fathers who experienced fewer depressive symptoms participated in more frequent play, caregiving, and home literacy activities with their young children at 24 months. Furthermore, fathers who experienced fewer stressors engaged in more frequent play activities but not caregiving or home literacy. Notably, fathers who engaged in more frequent positive interactions (e.g., laughing and talking calmly) with their child’s mother were also more involved in play and caregiving at 24 months. Results were evident even after controlling for a host of sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, findings suggest that healthy psychological functioning coupled with positive mother-father interactions are positive predictors of father involvement among African American fathers with young children. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are discussed.
Factors such as socioeconomic status (SES) and hopelessness, a dimension of cognitive vulnerability, have been associated with the onset of depression and anxiety pathology in primarily European American study samples. The purpose of this brief article was to examine a main effect of SES and mediating effect of hopelessness in relation to acute symptoms of depression and anxiety in African American college students. Vulnerability-stress theories suggest that cognitively vulnerable individuals are more likely to develop depressive symptoms than individuals without cognitive vulnerabilities. Participants were 133 African American college students who completed self-report measures of hopelessness and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results revealed that the relationship between participants’ SES and participants’ symptoms of depression was partially mediated by self-reported hopelessness. The relationship between participants’ SES and anxiety symptoms was fully mediated by their level of hopelessness. However, the direction of the findings was unexpected in that higher SES was associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety and also increased hopelessness. Future research and considerations for intervention are briefly discussed.
A content analysis was conducted of research published in the Journal of Black Psychology (JBP) during a 12-year period (2000-2011). A total of 276 articles were classified into 17 content categories. Similar to the previous JBP content analysis, the most frequently published authors and institutions were identified and ranked. The most highly cited articles were also identified. In addition, gender-focused articles and articles involving racial/ethnic group comparisons were identified. The most popular areas of research and publication in the JBP were in mental health and well-being, personality and identity (i.e., racial identity), culture, and physiological functioning and health psychology. These four categories accounted for 57% of the articles published. Results of this content analysis indicate a sharp increase in research on mental health and culture, while other areas remained consistent with the previous JBP content analysis. The dearth of African-centered psychological research was also noted. Implications for the field of Black psychology in the areas of African-centered research, defining Black psychology, and conducting race comparative research are discussed.
This investigation examined the factor structure and validity evidence for the Parent Experience of Racial Socialization Scale (PERS). Exploratory factor analysis found four interpretable factors accounting for 40% of the variance in the racial socialization construct. The identified factors were religion and spirituality, alertness to discrimination, mainstream, and cultural pride and coping. Correlation analyses indicated negative relationships between the newly identified PERS factors religion and spirituality and alertness to discrimination and the Teenagers Experiences of Racial Socialization (TERS) factor Alertness to Discrimination. In contrast, a positive relationship was found for the PERS spirituality and religion factor and the TERS cultural endorsement of the mainstream factor. Recommendations for research methods regarding racial socialization scales are provided.
The study is the first to examine the relationship among students’ social achievement goals, self-efficacy, collective efficacy of classmates and teachers, and math performance. In addition, the study examined homophily, or the tendency for peer group members to hold similar beliefs, for social achievement goals, efficacious beliefs, and math performance. Participants were 210 students from a predominately African American high school. Boys’ social achievement goals predicted twice as much collective efficacy than girls’ social achievement goals. In addition, self-efficacy positively predicted math performance for girls, but not so for boys. Social achievement goal homophily was only present for girls. Self-efficacy and math performance homophily was present for both boys and girls.
The ecological model of racial socialization (EMRS) was tested among a sample of 207 Black college students from a predominately White Midwestern university. The EMRS explored the relations between the racial composition of participants’ social contexts and racial socialization provided by both parent and peer sources. In addition, the model addressed the relations among racial socialization provided by multiple sources, color-blind racial ideology (CBRI), and mental health. Findings from hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated partial support of the EMRS. Specifically, the racial composition of participants’ neighborhood and friend group accounted for a unique amount of variance in messages about cultural pride and alertness to racism participants received from both parents and peers. Additionally, peer alertness to racism messages accounted for a significant amount of variance in both CBRI and mental health. Finally, CBRI moderated the relation between parental mainstream racial socialization messages and mental health, such that Black young adults, who have higher levels of color-blind racial beliefs, are negatively affected by mainstream socialization messages provided by parents of participants. Implications and future directions are discussed.
There has been little research investigating parenting strategies and child outcomes in British Caribbean populations. This study examined the relations of parental control, structure, and autonomy support and children’s motivation and symptomatology in the Caribbean country of Barbados. Results indicated that parental structure was related to higher levels of child academic engagement, perceived competence, perceived control, and intrinsic and identified self-regulation. Parental control was negatively related to engagement, perceived competence, perceived control, and identified self-regulation, and positively related to depression. Autonomy support was, in general, positively related to these same outcomes, and negatively related to depression; however, autonomy support items tapping parents’ acknowledgment of the child and allowance of opinion exchange were related more strongly to positive outcomes than items tapping allowance of choice and independent decision making. Implications for understanding parenting in Caribbean families, and for future cross-cultural parenting research, are discussed.
John Henryism, a construct developed to describe high effort coping, may help explain the observed health disparities between Blacks and Whites. Previous research suggests that John Henryism is associated with negative physical health factors. However, little research has focused on the relationship between John Henryism and psychological distress. Accordingly, in this exploratory study, we examined the relationships between John Henryism, psychological distress, and well-being in a diverse sample of Black women. Results indicate that there is a negative correlation between John Henryism and depressive symptomatology. This finding is in contrast to past research and suggests that John Henryism may be maladaptive to physical health but not mental health. The limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.
A total of 562 African American university students provided data on individual differences in neuroticism; coping with a recent experience being the target of prejudice, racism, and/or discrimination; and psychological reactions to the incident. Higher negative affect, lower positive affect, more intrusive thoughts about the incident, and lack of forgiveness for the perpetrator were used to index distress in response to the racist incident. Using factor analyses, we determined the factor structure of the Brief COPE in our sample. Using structural equation modeling, we then examined neuroticism and each coping factor as unique predictors of reactions to the race-related incident. We documented that there were direct and indirect associations (via the selection of coping strategies) between neuroticism and the outcome measures. Neuroticism also moderated the association between particular coping strategies and reactions to the racist incident. There was also evidence for direct associations between various coping strategies and the outcome measures. The research, though preliminary, suggests the importance of neuroticism and coping strategies in understanding psychological reactions to being the target of racism.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating effect of adolescents’ beliefs about socialization from caregivers ("attributions") on the link between racial socialization and private regard. This research addresses the paucity of literature on adolescent attributions as a context for the relation between socialization and private regard. The independent roles of racial barrier, racial pride, and self-worth messages were examined. Adolescents’ attributions were defined as beliefs that race-based messages were coming from a parent-child relationship characterized by love, autonomy, and care. Moderation analyses on the sample of 88 African American and biracial youth (ages 11-14 years) revealed that for adolescents who placed more emphasis on a positive relationship quality as the purpose for receiving socialization, self-worth messages were associated with higher private regard. The findings support the importance of attending to adolescents’ attributions for socialization and the impact that it has on fostering positive feelings about being African American.
Two experiments assess the extent that targets’ stereotypically Black physical features and individual differences in perceiver discrimination expectations influence racism-related responses. In Experiment 1, a total of 115 Black college students read about an ambiguously racist workplace situation. Participants reported their hostile emotions and racism attributions. In Experiment 2, a total of 121 Black college students read about two White police officers who physically harm a Black male. Participants reported their experience of empathy for the Black target. In both experiments, stereotypically Black physical features of the Black target were experimentally manipulated, and individual differences in discrimination expectations were assessed. More stereotypically Black physical features elicited greater racism attributions, greater hostile emotions, and more empathy for the target; and in all cases, the impact was stronger for Blacks with low discrimination expectations relative to those with high discrimination expectations. When person-related variables are especially salient, the influence of situational factors is necessarily reduced. Specifically, our findings demonstrate the insensitivity to racism-related situational cues that may be most pervasive for Blacks with high discrimination expectations.
Few studies have investigated the impact of interviewer race on the results gleaned through psychological assessment. African American and European American clinical evaluators conducted face-to-face interviews with 161 low-income African American women seeking services at an inner-city hospital following a suicide attempt. Participants were administered measures related to various current life stressors, including the Survey for Recent Life Events, which assesses various forms of daily hassles, and the Index of Spouse Abuse, which taps both physical and nonphysical intimate partner violence (IPV). Multivariate analyses of variance revealed a significant difference on the participants’ reports of daily hassles and IPV to African Americanand European American evaluators. With regard to overall life stress, African American women reported higher levels of total life stress, time pressure stress, social acceptability stress, and social victimization to African American than in European American–led interviews. They also endorsed higher levels of both physical and nonphysical IPV to interviewers of the same race as themselves as compared with interviewers from a different racial background. There were no group differences in terms of work stress, sociocultural differences, and finances. The findings underscore the saliency of interviewer race as a source of nonrandom measurement error capable of influencing statistical results. Implications of ignoring race of interviewer effects in analysis are explored and suggestions are offered in terms of culturally responsive assessment processes.
This study examined the role of color-blind racial ideology among a sample of 152 African American undergraduate students in relation to race-related stress. We hypothesized that those who endorsed relatively higher color-blind racial attitudes would experience greater race-related stress because experiences with racism would be interpreted as more taxing without an operating framework of extant racism in the United States. Contrary to our hypothesis, after controlling for overall well-being, trait-level positive and negative affect, and racial identity, we found color-blind racial attitudes to be a negative predictor of race-related stress. This finding indicates that moderate levels of color-blind attitudes may act as a buffer against race-related stress among undergraduate students who possess an overall sense of well-being. A detailed discussion of the findings and implications for future research is provided.
The present longitudinal study examined the role of general and tailored social support in mitigating the deleterious impact of racial discrimination on depressive symptoms and optimism in a large sample of African American women. Participants were 590 African American women who completed measures assessing racial discrimination, general social support, tailored social support for racial discrimination, depressive symptoms, and optimism at two time points (2001-2002 and 2003-2004). Our results indicated that higher levels of general and tailored social support predicted optimism 1 year later; changes in both types of support also predicted changes in optimism over time. Although initial levels of neither measure of social support predicted depressive symptoms over time, changes in tailored support predicted changes in depressive symptoms. We also sought to determine whether general and tailored social support "buffer" or diminish the negative effects of racial discrimination on depressive symptoms and optimism. Our results revealed a classic buffering effect of tailored social support but not general support on depressive symptoms for women experiencing high levels of discrimination.
In the simplest terms, resilience is doing better than expected, particularly given the presence of some disadvantage that threatens positive outcomes. Like many other countries worldwide, The Bahamas has areas of poverty that provide many challenges for families raising children. Although the consequences of poverty are rampant, not all the youth who are raised in these conditions succumb to these effects. This study sought to identify the internal and external factors that are predictive of resilience in a sample of 103 urban Bahamian students. Ninth- and 11th-grade students from two local public schools completed surveys. Of special interest to this study was the relationship between school engagement and resilience. Although school engagement was significantly positively related to resilience, it was overshadowed by other factors when included in the resilience regression model. Relationships with parents and nonparental adults, involvement in meaningful activity, and self-efficacy were significant predictors of resilience in this sample of urban Bahamian students.
This article describes two separate studies that were conducted to develop and validate a measure of the prolonged stress activation and anticipatory race-related stress response in African American adults (Prolonged Activation and Anticipatory Race-Related Stress Scale [PARS]). In Study 1, an exploratory factor analytic procedure (N = 292) resulted in a17-item measure with four underlying factors: (a) Perseverative Cognition, (b) Secondary Appraisal, (c) Anticipatory Race-Related Stress Scale–Psychological, and (d) Anticipatory Race-Related Stress Scale–Physiological. In Study 2 (N = 227), a confirmatory factor analytic procedure was conducted to evaluate and compare the underlying factor structure for several competing models of the PARS. This procedure supported a four-factor oblique solution as having the best fit to the data. Study 2 also provided evidence for the convergent validity of the PARS in that its factor scores correlated, in the anticipated direction, with scores on measures of related constructs.
Racial socialization has been found to have a positive impact on the lives of African Americans. While most studies have focused on parental and caretaker racial socialization, none have examined this process in the context of the mental health practitioner-client relationship. Mental health practitioners may also serve as a socializing agent, providing African American clients with messages regarding race and racial barriers. The present exploratory study examined whether racial socialization messages are being incorporated in individual therapy by mental health practitioners who work with African American clients. Participants were 136 mental health providers solicited via electronic mailing lists from various divisions of the American Psychological Association, college counseling centers, and regional associations. Participants completed a survey on-line. Results indicated ethnicity was linked to the report of racial socialization focused on spiritual coping messages. Results also suggested an interaction between the ethnicity of the clinician and the age group of their clientele when examining messages focused on color-blind ideology.
Guided by ecological and integrative theories of child development, this article examined the associations between multiple systems of influence (school and family) and the educational aspirations of Black Bermudian adolescent boys. This study used qualitative data gleaned from semistructured interviews with students in their senior year at a Bermudian public high school (N = 18, Mage = 18). Findings revealed that family members and teachers encouraged boys to stay committed to school, thereby supporting high school graduation, academic confidence, and educational aspirations for higher education. However, boys had not learned enough about the complicated process of college and fellowship applications to execute their educational goals, leaving them to wonder "what’s next?" This study contributes to our cross-cultural and nuanced understanding of the important role that families and teachers play in the educational lives of Black male adolescents and suggests that interventions targeting families and teachers might promote the educational attainment, and consequent earnings, of Black male students.
This study sought to examine the relationship between coping strategies and prosocial and deviant peer associations for urban, African American adolescents. In addition, the study analyzed the mediating role of ethnic identity for coping strategies and peer associations. Results of the African American models were then compared with models for European American adolescents. Results indicated that African American and European American adolescents who reported using distraction coping strategies were more likely to associate with prosocial peers, and those who reported using self-destruction strategies were less likely to associate with prosocial peers. Adolescents who reported using distraction coping strategies were less likely to associate with deviant peers, and adolescents who reported using self-destruction strategies were more likely to associate with deviant peers. Ethnic identity mediated the relationship between coping and prosocial peer association for African American adolescents. Limitations of the study and future research directions are also presented.