Understanding Prosocial Behavior: The Impact of Empathy and Gender Among African American Adolescents

Racism and its ramifications are salient societal-level factors that detrimentally affect African American youth and families. Few studies have investigated how African American youth experience discrimination within families and society and colorism’s impact on racial identity, despite extensive racial discrimination research. We assessed whether the perceptions of African American youth of their skin tone affected their racial identity, familial functioning, and everyday discrimination, using the National Survey of American Life–Adolescent Supplement data. We found no significant relationships among skin tone perception, racial identity, familial functioning, or everyday experiences of discrimination. Conversely, age and gender differences were significant predictors of racial identity, family functioning, and discrimination reports. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for social work practice.

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Adolescents’ Internalizing Behaviors after Extreme Violence Exposure: A Comparison of Race and Gender for African American and Asian American Youth

Families in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services ◽

10.1606/1044-3894.3870 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 90 (2) ◽

pp. 145-152 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Wan-Yi Chen

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Community Violence ◽

Asian American ◽

Violence Exposure ◽

African American Adolescents ◽

Internalizing Behaviors ◽

Race And Gender ◽

Asian American Adolescents ◽

Minority Adolescents ◽

And Gender

This study compares African American and Asian American adolescents in their rates of extreme community violence exposure and consequent internalizing behaviors. Using information from a national longitudinal survey this study found substantial violence exposure rates for both groups. Also, gender differences in exposure rates and adolescent reports of internalizing behaviors after violence exposure were detected. Male African American adolescents had the highest exposure rate, while female Asian American adolescents reported the highest level of internalizing behaviors. These findings suggest further research is needed to better understand the effect of violence exposure on various ethnic minority adolescents. Moreover, social workers and other professionals involved in adolescent services could use these results to improve outreach methods to vulnerable adolescents.

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Identity as Resistance: Identity Formation at the Intersection of Race, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

Psychology of Women Quarterly ◽

10.1177/0361684319875977 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 67-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alison Cerezo ◽

Mariah Cummings ◽

Meredith Holmes ◽

Chelsey Williams

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Sexual Orientation ◽

Gender Identity ◽

Identity Formation ◽

Psychological Research ◽

Research Literature ◽

Constructivist Grounded Theory ◽

Future Research ◽

And Gender ◽

The Impact

Although the concept of intersectionality has gained widespread attention in psychological research, there remains a significant gap related to the impact of intersectionality on identity formation for persons negotiating multiple minority statuses. This gap is especially pronounced among sexual and gender expansive women of Latinx and African American descent—two groups that face disparate personal and public health risks but are largely ignored in the research literature. In response to this gap, we carried out a qualitative study using constructivist grounded theory with 20 Latinx and African American sexual minority, gender expansive women to understand participants’ experiences of forming an intersectional social identity. Following an exploration of identity formation related to the specific domains of race, gender identity, and sexual orientation, we prompted participants to consider how each of the specified identity domains impacted the formation and experience of an overall intersectional identity (e.g., how racial position impacted gender identity and/or sexual identity formation). Findings revealed four major themes that were critical in identity formation: (a) family and cultural expectations, (b) freedom to explore identity, (c) the constant negotiation of insider/outsider status, and (d) identity integration as an act of resistance. Implications for future research and psychological services are discussed.

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Race and Stereotypes Matter When You Ask About Conduct Problems: Implications for Violence Risk Assessment in Juvenile Justice Settings

Journal of Black Psychology ◽

10.1177/0095798418821278 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 26-51

Author(s):

James R. Andretta ◽

Frank C. Worrell ◽

Katara M. Watkins ◽

Ryan M. Sutton ◽

Adrian D. Thompson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Juvenile Justice ◽

Conduct Problems ◽

Juvenile Justice System ◽

African American Adolescents ◽

Substantial Effect ◽

Control Group ◽

Violence Risk ◽

Identity Attitudes ◽

The Impact

We examined the impact of stigma priming on self-reported severe conduct problems in two studies conducted with African American adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system. Data-collection interviews were conducted in a secure detention setting following arrest. In Study 1 ( N = 193), stigma was primed by manipulating the ordering of surveys. Adolescents who completed a questionnaire about racial identity attitudes prior to questions about severe conduct reported substantively more problematic behaviors than control group peers (β = 0.43). In Study 2 ( N = 264), stigma was primed by manipulating whether adolescents were interviewed by an African American or European American mental health professional. Racial group membership of the interviewer did not have a substantial effect on self-reported conduct problems (β = −0.04). Although the studies were not without limitations, they highlight the need for more research on the degree to which interview methods and context influence self-reported severe conduct behavior in forensic settings.

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Probing the Paradoxical Pattern of Cigarette Smoking among African-Americans: Low Teenage Consumption and High Adult Use

Journal of Drug Education ◽

10.2190/pclm-7bp7-vrjy-bnca ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 307-320 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

William Feigelman ◽

Julia Lee

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

African Americans ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

African American Adolescents ◽

Past Research ◽

Use Patterns ◽

African American Adults ◽

Gender And Age ◽

And Gender ◽

Low Prevalence

Based on secondary analysis of the 1990 California Tobacco Survey, of 24,296 adult and 7,767 adolescent respondents, this study investigates the enigmatic results established by past research, of comparatively low prevalence rates of smoking among African-American adolescents and high use patterns for African-American adults. Findings support the crossover hypothesis claiming that more young adult White smokers successfully relinquish cigarette use than same aged African-Americans. When Whites and Blacks were grouped according to gender and age, findings showed African-American males between ages eighteen to twenty-four and females between ages twenty-five and forty-four were less likely to be among the ranks of former smokers than their same aged and gender White counterparts. The findings suggest that targeting these groups for more antismoking information and for opportunities to participate in smoking cessation programs may be helpful to reduce the higher smoking rates now found among African-American adults.

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