Brain morphological variability between whites and African Americans: the importance of racial identity in brain imaging research

In a segregated society, marked by a historical background of inequalities, there is a consistent under-representation of ethnic and racial minorities in biomedical research, causing disparities in understanding genetic and acquired diseases as well as in the effectiveness of clinical treatments affecting different groups. The repeated inclusion of small and non-representative samples of the population in neuroimaging research has led to generalization bias in the morphological characterization of the human brain. A few brain morphometric studies between Whites and African Americans have reported differences in orbitofrontal volumetry and insula cortical thickness. Nevertheless, these studies are mostly conducted in small samples and populations with cognitive impairment. For this reason, this study aimed to identify brain morphological variability due to racial identity in representative samples. We hypothesized that, in neurotypical young adults, there are differences in brain morphometry between participants with distinct racial identities. We analyzed the Human Connectome Project (HCP) database to test this hypothesis. Brain volumetry, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area measures of participants identified as Whites (n = 338) or African Americans (n = 56) were analyzed. Non-parametrical permutation analysis of covariance between these racial identity groups adjusting for age, sex, education, and economic income was implemented. Results indicated volumetric differences in choroid plexus, supratentorial, white matter, and subcortical brain structures. Moreover, differences in cortical thickness and surface area in frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital brain regions were identified between groups. In this regard, the inclusion of sub-representative minorities in neuroimaging research, such as African American persons, is fundamental for the comprehension of human brain morphometric diversity and to design personalized clinical brain treatments for this population.

Africentric Cultural Values, Psychological Help-Seeking Attitudes, and Self-Concealment in African American College Students

This study investigated the relationships among Africentric cultural values (i.e., the extent to which an individual adheres to a worldview emphasizing communalism, unity, harmony, spirituality, and authenticity), favorable psychological help-seeking attitudes, perceived counseling stigma, and selfconcealment (i.e., the tendency to withhold personal, sensitive information that is perceived as negative or upsetting) in a sample of African American college students. The authors found that for both African American women and men, higher degrees of Africentric cultural values were associated with greater perceived stigma about counseling and greater self-concealment. In addition, findings indicated that neither favorable psychological help-seeking attitudes nor perceived counseling stigma significantly mediated the relationship between Africentric cultural values and self-concealment behavior. Implication of the findings and future research directions are discussed.

Independent and Interdependent Self-Construals, Individualism, Collectivism, and Harmony Control in African Americans

The authors investigated the relationships among independent and interdependent self-construals (i.e., self-conceptualizations), dimensions of individualism and collectivism, and aspects of harmony control (i.e., the degree to which individuals are flexible in recognizing that their personal power stems from spiritual, social, and contextual forces) in a sample of 240 African American community college students. Results revealed that independent and interdependent self-construals and dimensions of individualism and collectivism were differentially related to various harmony control dimensions. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Exploring Clinicians Attitudes Toward the Incorporation of Racial Socialization in Psychotherapy

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.