Evaluating cohort and intervention effects on black adolescents' ethnic-racial identity: a cognitive-cultural approach

The Association Between Racial Attitudes, Alcohol Use and Mood Disorders Among Black Adolescents

Alcohol is the most widely used substance among adolescents. Although Black adolescents use alcohol at lower rates than White adolescents, Black adolescents tend to have worse outcomes. This includes higher rates of mood disorders and criminal justice involvement associated with alcohol use and misuse compared to any other racial group. Black adolescents are also more likely to experience racial discrimination and be exposed to traumatic events within their communities, which may increase their chances of using substances. Understanding the relationship between racial attitudes (towards one's own group and others) and substance use and mental health can provide unique and meaningful insight into prevention programming for Black adolescents. Yet, these concepts have been understudied. To fill this gap, we examined the association between racial attitudes and alcohol use and mood disorders in Black adolescents in Philadelphia, PA (N = 154). We used the revised Adolescent Survey of Black Life to measure pro-Black (positive attitudes toward being Black and factors related to Black people), anti-White (negative attitudes toward White people due to experiences of racism and discrimination) and racism awareness (recognition of racism) domains. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the associations. Results showed that: higher pro-Black attitudes were associated with a lower odds of mood disorder (odds ratio [OR] = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.55, 0.89); and higher racism awareness was associated with an increased odds of alcohol use (OR = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06, 1.29). Findings provide preliminary support for interventions and policies for Black adolescents that bolster positive racial identity and eliminate experiences of racism as alcohol use and mood disorder prevention strategies.

Racial-Ethnic Protective Factors and Mechanisms in Psychosocial Prevention and Intervention Programs for Black Youth

Extending previous reviews related to cultural responsiveness in the treatment of ethnic minority youth, the current review provides a critical assessment and synthesis of both basic and applied research on the integration of three racial-ethnic protective factors (racial identity, racial socialization, Africentric worldview) in psychosocial prevention and intervention programs for Black children and adolescents. Seventeen programs meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria were evaluated for the extent to which racial-ethnic protective factors and related mechanisms were integrated, applied, and tested in such programs. A systematic assessment of these programs revealed that several prevention and intervention programs drew upon the three factors, particularly Africentric worldview. In addition, a number of studies hypothesized and assessed mechanisms, both those previously identified in conceptual literature and those that emerged from the interventions themselves. A set of recommendations encouraging the implementation of these factors into future prevention and intervention programs, examples of how clinicians can infuse these factors into psychotherapy, and areas for future research are discussed.

Association between perceived discrimination and racial/ethnic disparities in problem behaviors among preadolescent youths

OBJECTIVES

We examined the contribution of perceived racial/ethnic discrimination to disparities in problem behaviors among preadolescent Black, Latino, and White youths.

METHODS

We used cross-sectional data from Healthy Passages, a 3-community study of 5119 fifth graders and their parents from August 2004 through September 2006 in Birmingham, Alabama; Los Angeles County, California; and Houston, Texas. We used multivariate regressions to examine the relationships of perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and race/ethnicity to problem behaviors. We used values from these regressions to calculate the percentage of disparities in problem behaviors associated with the discrimination effect.

RESULTS

In multivariate models, perceived discrimination was associated with greater problem behaviors among Black and Latino youths. Compared with Whites, Blacks were significantly more likely to report problem behaviors, whereas Latinos were significantly less likely (a "reverse disparity"). When we set Blacks' and Latinos' discrimination experiences to zero, the adjusted disparity between Blacks and Whites was reduced by an estimated one third to two thirds; the reverse adjusted disparity favoring Latinos widened by about one fifth to one half.

CONCLUSIONS

Eliminating discrimination could considerably reduce mental health issues, including problem behaviors, among Black and Latino youths.

Evaluating the protective role of racial identity in children with sickle cell disease

OBJECTIVE

This study examined whether racial identity moderates the relation between pain and quality of life (QOL) in children with sickle cell disease (SCD).

METHODS

100 children 8-18 years of age with SCD participated during a regularly scheduled medical visit. Children completed questionnaires assessing pain, QOL, and regard racial identity, which evaluates racial judgments.

RESULTS

Analyses revealed that regard racial identity trended toward significance in moderating the pain and physical QOL relation, (β = -0.159, t(93) = -1.821, p = 0.07), where children with low pain and high regard reported greater physical QOL than children with low pain and low regard. Regard racial identity did not moderate the relation between pain and other QOL dimensions. Pain significantly predicted all dimensions of QOL and regard racial identity significantly predicted social QOL.

CONCLUSIONS

Racial identity may be important to consider in future research examining QOL in children with SCD.

Discrimination, attribution, and racial group identification: implications for psychological distress among Black Americans in the National Survey of American Life (2001-2003)

There is increasing evidence that experiencing discrimination may contribute to poor mental health among Black Americans. However, few studies have distinguished between discrimination attributed to race versus other forms of discrimination or have compared differences in their psychological implications. Using nationally representative data on 5,191 Black Americans in the National Survey of American Life (NSAL; 2001-2003), this study examined serious psychological distress (SPD) in relation to discrimination attributed to racial versus nonracial causes and also investigated whether racial group identification may be a buffer. We found that discrimination was associated with greater odds of SPD, regardless of attribution. Racial attributions were associated with higher odds of SPD compared with attributions to nonracial causes for each level of discrimination. High racial group identification buffered the negative effect of moderate levels of both racially and nonracially attributed discrimination. Our results provide evidence for the negative influence of discrimination on SPD among Black Americans and indicate that high racial group identification may somewhat mitigate their negative mental health effects. Our study suggests that discrimination and racial group identification should be addressed to protect against psychological distress among Black Americans.