Collective ethnic-racial identity and health outcomes among African American youth: Examination of promotive and protective effects

Longitudinal associations between adolescent skin color satisfaction and adult health outcomes in Black women

OBJECTIVE

Although emerging studies examine the inverse relationship between body satisfaction and disordered eating for Black women, it has not been established how racially salient aspects of body satisfaction may have implications for eating behaviors and longitudinal health outcomes.

METHOD

In a longitudinal sample of 455 Black women, we examined whether skin color satisfaction across ages 10-15 was directly related to adult health outcomes at age 40 (e.g., disordered eating, self-esteem, self-reported health, depressive symptoms, and cardiovascular risk). We also investigated the indirect impact of skin color satisfaction on adult health, mediated by body satisfaction, and binge eating.

RESULTS

No significant direct or indirect effects of adolescent skin color satisfaction were observed for depressive symptoms or cardiovascular health outcomes. At ages 10 and 12, skin color satisfaction had negative and positive direct effects, respectively, on self-esteem. At age 15, greater skin color satisfaction was directly associated with greater self-reported health. Post hoc analyses revealed that when additionally accounting for adolescent body satisfaction, greater skin color satisfaction was indirectly associated with greater self-esteem and self-reported health, alongside lower cardiovascular risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Although previous research suggests that in adolescence, Black girls' skin color satisfaction affects both body satisfaction and disordered eating behaviors, this association does not hold into midlife. Rather, post hoc analyses suggest that the lasting effects of adolescent skin color satisfaction are mediated by the longitudinal stability of body satisfaction, which in turn, is associated with adult health outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Social identity and health-related behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This paper examined the relationship between social identity and health-related behavior, exploring whether social identities are associated with multiple health-related behaviors or only specific ones, and whether this association varies on the type of social identity, the type of social identity measures or the expected relationship between identity and behavior. In a systematic review and meta-analysis we assessed whether the pattern of findings can be explained by the social identity approach. An extensive literature search was conducted in several databases including EBSCO-host and PubMed, using elaborate search terms related to social identity and health-related behavior. This resulted in 10728 potential articles, with 115 articles (with 248 effect sizes from 133 independent samples, N = 112.112) included in the meta-analysis. We found a small but positive overall association between social identification and health-related behavior, which was present for actual behavior, as well as for intention and attitudes. This association was stronger for health-related social identities, positive health-related behaviors, when the expected relationship was positive and when indirect social identity measures were used. However, not all findings could be explained by the social identity approach, indicating a need for further research to better understand the relationship between social identity and health-related behavior, in order to more effectively incorporate social identity into health interventions.

Voices of Identity: Exploring Identity Development and Transformation among Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Emerging Adults

Emerging adulthood shapes personal, professional, and overall well-being through identity exploration. This study addresses a gap in the minority identity literature by investigating how urban AI/AN emerging adults think about their identity and discussing challenges and protective factors associated with exploring their identity holistically. This mixed-methods study created a sampling framework based on discrimination experiences, cultural identity, social network support, mental health, and problematic substance use. We recruited 20 urban AI/AN emerging adults for interviews. We sought to gain deeper insights into their experiences and discussions surrounding identity formation and exploration. We provide descriptives for demographic characteristics and conducted a thematic analysis of the qualitative data from the interviews. Four themes emerged: a) being an urban AI/AN emerging adult means recognizing that one's identity is multifaceted; b) a multifaceted identity comes with tension of living in multiple worlds; c) the trajectory of one's identity grows over time to a deeper desire to connect with Native American culture; and d) understanding one's Native American background affects one's professional trajectory. Findings underscore the importance of developing programs to support well-being and identity development through cultural connection for urban AI/AN emerging adults.

Racial Identification as a Protective Factor for At-Risk Parenting in Black Parents: A Longitudinal, Multi-Method Investigation

Although considerable literature focuses on risk factors predicting parents' likelihood to engage in maltreatment, relatively less work evaluates potentially protective parental resources, particularly culturally relevant qualities. The current investigation utilized a multi-method longitudinal study to examine parents' racial identification as a possible resource, hypothesizing that Black parents with stronger racial group identification would demonstrate lower at-risk parenting, operationalized as lower child abuse risk and less negative observed parenting. In a sample of 359 mothers and fathers (half self-identified Black, half non-Hispanic White), controlling for socioeconomic status, findings partially supported the hypothesis. Black parents' greater racial identification was associated with lower child abuse risk and less observed negative parenting, whereas the reverse was true for White parents. The potential limitations of current assessment approaches to gauge at-risk parenting in parents of color are discussed, as well as how racial identification could be considered in culturally informed prevention programming for at-risk parenting.

Investigating the associations of acute psychedelic experiences and changes in racial trauma symptoms, psychological flexibility, and substance use among People with Racial and Ethnic Minoritized Identities in the United States and Canada

INTRODUCTION

Evidence suggests that psychedelics may serve as a therapeutic approach to reduce substance use; however, people with racial and ethnic minoritized (REM) identities are often excluded from this research. We investigated whether psychedelic use affects other substance use among REM people and whether perceived changes in psychological flexibility and racial trauma mediates this association.

METHODS

REM people in the United States and Canada (N = 211; 32 % Black, 29 % Asian, 18 % American Indian/Indigenous Canadian, 21 % Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander; 57 % female; mean age = 33.1, SD = 11.2) completed an online survey retrospectively reporting their substance use, psychological flexibility, and racial trauma symptoms 30 days before and after their most memorable psychedelic experience.

RESULTS

Analyses showed a significant perceived reduction in alcohol (p < .0001, d = 0.54) and drug use (p = .0001, d = 0.23) from before to after the psychedelic experience. Preliminary associations found perceived reductions in racial trauma symptoms were associated with perceived reductions in alcohol use and this association varied by race, dose, ethnic identity, and change in depressive symptoms. Specifically, Indigenous participants experienced greater perceived reductions in alcohol use relative to participants who identified as Asian, Black, or other. Those who took a high dose of psychedelics experienced greater perceived reductions in alcohol use relative to those who took a low dose. Participants with a stronger ethnic identity and those with a perceived reduction in depressive symptoms experienced a perceived reduction in alcohol use. Serial mediation indicated a perceived increase in psychological flexibility and reduction in racial trauma symptoms mediated the association between acute psychedelic effects and perceived reductions in alcohol and drug use.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that psychedelic experiences may contribute to an increase in psychological flexibility and reduction in racial trauma symptoms and alcohol and drug use among REM people. REM people have been largely excluded from psychedelic treatment research even though psychedelic use is considered a traditional healing practice in many communities of color. Longitudinal studies of REM people should replicate our findings.

HIV knowledge and protective factors among racial-ethnic minority youth: Moderation by Ethnic identity and LGBQ+ identity

Due to systemic racism and homophobia, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer (LGBQ+) youth of color are disproportionately affected by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) / AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) and viral hepatitis (VH). Innovative approaches that acknowledge strengths such as ethnic identity need to be examined to understand specific protective factors that can support LGBQ+ youth of color. This study aimed to examine the moderating effects of ethnic identity and LGBQ+ identity on indicators of HIV knowledge (i.e., VH knowledge, sexual negotiation skills, and perception of sexual risk). Youth who identified as Hispanic/Latinx, African American/Black, and mixed racial-identity (N = 564) were included in the delimited sample. Using linear regression modeling, results showed that there was a positive association between sexual negotiation skill, sexual risk perception, ethnic identity and HIV knowledge. Ethnic identity displayed a positive and significant moderating effect between predictors and HIV knowledge. Three-way interactions between predictors by ethnic identity x LGBQ+ interaction showed equally interesting associations with HIV knowledge. Study implications include the need for strengthening ethnic identity and pride among LGBQ+ youth of color within HIV prevention programming.

Personalized Neural Networks Underlie Individual Differences in Ethnic Identity Exploration and Resolution

This study examined how ethnic identity relates to large-scale brain networks implicated in social interactions, social cognition, self-definition, and cognitive control. Group Iterative Multiple Model Estimation (GIMME) was used to create sparse, person-specific networks among the default mode and frontoparietal resting-state networks in a diverse sample of 104 youths aged 17-21. Links between neural density (i.e., number of connections within and between these networks) and ethnic identity exploration and resolution were evaluated in the full sample. Ethnic identity resolution was positively related to frontoparietal network density, suggesting that having clarity about one's ethnic group membership is associated with brain network organization reflecting cognitive control. These findings help fill a critical knowledge gap about the neural underpinnings of ethnic identity.

Racial centrality mediates the association between adolescent racial discrimination and adult cigarette smoking outcomes among Black Americans

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to investigate racial centrality as a mediator of the association between Black adolescents' racial discrimination experiences and their cigarette use in early adulthood.

METHODS

The data were drawn from the Family and Community Health Study, which is a longitudinal study of Black American families that began in 1996. Families with a child in 5th grade who identified as Black or African American were recruited from Iowa and Georgia. At baseline, there were 838 Black American children. Hierarchical regressions and bootstrap tests of the indirect effects were used to investigate whether racial centrality at Wave 5 (mean age = 21.6 years) mediated the association between adolescent discrimination at Waves 1-4 (mean ages = 10.5-18.8 years) and adult cigarette use at wave 6 (mean age = 23.5 years).

RESULTS

Bivariate associations indicated racial discrimination was significantly associated positively with racial centrality and adult use of cigarettes. Racial centrality indirectly affected the association between racial discrimination and cigarette use such that greater racial centrality was associated with less cigarette use. Further, racial centrality predicted cessation among those who had smoked. Finally, racial centrality was higher among those who never smoked and those who had smoked and quit, relative to those who currently smoke.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that having strong Black racial centrality is a mediator that reduces the risk of cigarette use among young adults who experience racial discrimination in adolescence. In addition, racial centrality also predicts smoking cessation among young Black Americans who smoke. Translational implications of these findings are discussed.

African American Children's Racial Discrimination Experiences and Mental Health

The current study examined how African American children's experiences of perceived personal racial discrimination and perceived vicarious racial discrimination were linked with depressive and anxiety symptoms, and whether there were significant sex differences in these relations. The sample included 73 African American children (48% male), ranging from 7 to 12 years of age (M = 8.82, SD = 2.06). Models specified children's personal discrimination and vicarious discrimination as predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Nested model comparisons were also used to examine whether associations varied as a function of children's sex. The current study hypothesized that both forms of discrimination would be associated with greater anxiety and depressive symptoms. Findings indicated that children's personal racial discrimination significantly predicted greater child anxiety symptoms for both boys and girls. No significant sex differences emerged. Neither personal nor vicarious discrimination significantly predicted depressive symptoms. Our findings highlight that racialized experiences occur early in childhood and have important implications for children's mental health.

Predictors of Sexual and Reproductive Health Among Girls Involved in the Juvenile Legal System: the Influence of Resources, Race, and Ethnicity

Girls involved in the juvenile legal system are at among the highest risk for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges. Yet, few studies focus on girls or examine multiple predictors of their SRH in tandem. In addition to individual and familial-level risk factors (e.g., trauma, substance use, parental monitoring), this study also examines the influence of structural disadvantage on girls' SRH by assessing the degree to which girls' self-identified resource needs and access challenges across multiple areas (e.g., housing, employment, healthcare) predict SRH risk. Cross-sectional data collected from 269 girls involved in the legal system and their caregivers were analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses. Findings suggest that, over and above individual and familial level predictors, resource access challenges significantly predict girls' SRH, while high resource needs and access challenges predict Black girls' SRH specifically. Implications for programming, policy, and research are delineated.

Racial discrimination and substance use among African American youth: Personal and collective self-esteem as mechanisms

Little is known about the mechanisms of the relationship between racial discrimination and substance use among Black youth. The current study examined the role of collective self-esteem and personal self-esteem in this relationship among Black adolescents in grades 5 through 12 (N = 1514; 57% female). Regression analyses estimated direct effects of perceived racial discrimination on substance use and indirect effects of discrimination on substance use through personal and collective self-esteem. Controlling for grade and sex, results revealed significant indirect effects such that experiences of discrimination were positively associated with substance use through lower reports of collective and personal self-esteem. Findings suggest that bolstering personal and race-related esteem may mitigate the deleterious influence of discrimination among Black youth.

A Lifespan Model of Ethnic-Racial Identity

The current paper presents a lifespan model of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) from infancy into adulthood. We conceptualize that ethnic-racial priming during infancy prompts nascent awareness of ethnicity/race that becomes differentiated across childhood and through adulthood. We propose that the components of ERI that have been tested to date fall within five dimensions across the lifespan: ethnic-racial awareness, affiliation, attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge. Further, ERI evolves in a bidirectional process informed by an interplay of influencers (i.e., contextual, individual, and developmental factors, as well as meaning-making and identity-relevant experiences). It is our goal that the lifespan model of ERI will provide important future direction to theory, research, and interventions.

Why now? Examining antecedents for substance use initiation among African American adolescents

Current adolescent substance use risk models have inadequately predicted use for African Americans, offering limited knowledge about differential predictability as a function of developmental period. Among a sample of 500 African American youth (ages 11-21), four risk indices (i.e., social risk, attitudinal risk, intrapersonal risk, and racial discrimination risk) were examined in the prediction of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette initiation during early (ages 11-13), mid (ages 16-18), and late (ages 19-21) adolescence. Results showed that when developmental periods were combined, racial discrimination was the only index that predicted initiation for all three substances. However, when risk models were stratified based on developmental period, variation was found within and across substance types. Results highlight the importance of racial discrimination in understanding substance use initiation among African American youth and the need for tailored interventions based on developmental stage.

Prospective associations between trauma, placement disruption, and ethnic-racial identity among newly emancipated foster youth

INTRODUCTION

Ethnic-racial identity (ERI) is an important developmental process for ethnic-racial minority youth. However, little is known about how adverse life experiences may be related to ERI development. Thus, the current study evaluated prospective associations of emancipated foster youth's histories of childhood maltreatment and foster placement disruption with ERI centrality and ERI private regard, as well as the adaptive implications of ERI.

METHOD

Participants were 144 emancipated foster youth (69.4% female) from ethnic-racial minority backgrounds (27.8% Black, 32.6% Latinx, 39.6% multiracial) who participated in a longitudinal study of youth's adaptation to aging out of the US child welfare system. Youth reported on their childhood maltreatment severity and child welfare placement history at wave 1 (M_{age_w1} = 19.62, SD = 1.11), and on their ERI centrality, ERI private regard, and socioemotional adjustment (i.e., social support, self-esteem, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction) five years later (M_{age_w2} = 24.15).

RESULTS

Path analyses revealed that childhood maltreatment severity and placement disruption were associated with lower ERI private regard, but not ERI centrality. Moreover, private regard was associated with better socioemotional adjustment (i.e., higher levels of self-esteem and social support), whereas centrality was related to poorer adjustment (i.e., lower levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction, and higher rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms), and these relations varied by ethnicity-race.

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings suggest that efforts to promote positive feelings toward one's ethnic-racial group membership can support ethnic-racial minority foster youth's capacity to negotiate developmental challenges in and beyond the child welfare system.