Examining Black adolescents’ perceptions of in-school racial discrimination: The role of teacher support on academic outcomes

Background/Context The relationship between perceived discrimination and students’ academic outcomes is well established, showing the negative effects of experiences of discrimination. Although much attention has focused on how to temper these effects for students, few studies have focused on the potential role that teachers can play in lessening the effects of discrimination on student outcomes. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study In this study, we look at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender by examining at how Latinx male and female high school students’ academic outcomes, such as grade point average, are impacted by their perceived level of discrimination and teacher support. Research Design Using an intersectional framework, this study uses data from 783 Latinx adolescents (Mage = 16.01 years) in the United States. Specifically, we examine the moderating role of perceived teacher support on the relationship between students’ discrimination and their academic performance using a moderated factor analysis approach. Findings/Results Results indicate that the items that measure perceived discrimination and teacher support do not function in the same way for Latinx male and female adolescents and that emotional teacher support buffers the negative relationship between discrimination and academic performance for Latinx males. Conclusions/Recommendations We argue the need to construct measures and approach interventions in the areas of discrimination and teacher support that would allow us to better identify how to support Latinx adolescents in the most effective ways.

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The Role of Familism and Parents in the Academic Outcomes of Latino Adolescents

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e628622012-434 ◽

2005 ◽

Author(s):

P. Esparza ◽

B. Sanchez

Keyword(s):

Academic Outcomes ◽

Latino Adolescents

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The effect of racial discrimination on the mental health of African American and Latino American college students: The moderating role of racial socialization

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e633872013-853 ◽

2003 ◽

Author(s):

Noe Chavez

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

African American ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Racial Socialization ◽

Latino American ◽

Moderating Role

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Role of Support Networks on Psychological and Academic Outcomes for Immigrant Youth

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e637572010-001 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Selcuk R. Sirin ◽

Dalal Katsiaficas ◽

Taveeshi Gupta ◽

Gina Shedid

Keyword(s):

Academic Outcomes ◽

Immigrant Youth ◽

Support Networks

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Racial Discrimination Predicts Mental Health Outcomes Beyond the Role of Personality Traits in a Community Sample of African Americans

Clinical Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/2167702620957318 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 216770262095731

Author(s):

Yara Mekawi ◽

Courtland S. Hyatt ◽

Jessica Maples-Keller ◽

Sierra Carter ◽

Vasiliki Michopoulos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

African Americans ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Personality Traits ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Community Sample ◽

Mental Health Outcomes ◽

Hierarchical Regression

Despite a consistent body of work documenting associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, the utility and validity of these findings have recently been questioned because some authors have posited that personality traits may account for these associations. To test this hypothesis in a community sample of African Americans ( n = 419, age: M = 43.96 years), we used bivariate relations and hierarchical regression analyses to determine whether racial discrimination accounted for additional variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms beyond the role of personality. Bivariate relations between personality traits and racial discrimination were small and positive (i.e., rs ≈ .10). Regression results demonstrated that racial discrimination accounted for variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress independent of personality traits ( ps < .01). These results suggest that personality traits do not fully explain associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, further supporting the detrimental impact of racial discrimination on the mental health of African Americans.

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