Sitting in the Pews: Theological Beliefs and Racial/Ethnic Identity Among African American Adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2110466
Author(s):  
Pamela P. Martin ◽  
Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes ◽  
Meredith O. Hope
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Church Attendance ◽  
African American Youth ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Biblical Principles ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Church attendance, prayer, and faith practices play a significant role in the life experiences among African Americans, especially youth. Few studies on religious behaviors among African American youth investigate the relationship between theological orientations and racial identity. These orientations include biblical principles, other-worldliness, and social legacy. A total of 187 African American adolescents ( Mage = 15) attending 18 predominantly Black churches in two Midwestern cities participated in the study. Results provided support for two theological orientations that were associated with racial/ethnic identity in distinct ways. More specifically, other-worldliness was linked to more negative feelings about the appearance of African American adolescents and being more likely to endorse negative stereotypes about African Americans. Adolescents who perceived their church as communicating a theology based upon biblical principles reported rejecting negative stereotypes about African Americans. Study findings suggest theological orientations may be associated with shaping racial/ethnic identity attitudes among African American adolescents.

The Moderating Effects of Culture on Peer Deviance and Alcohol Use among High-Risk African-American Adolescents

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aashir Nasim ◽  
Faye Z. Belgrave ◽  
Robert J. Jagers ◽  
Karen D. Wilson ◽  
Kristal Owens
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Risk Behaviors ◽  
African American Youth ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Heavy Alcohol ◽  
Cultural Variables

African-American adolescents have lower rates of alcohol consumption than White youth. However, African-American youth suffer disproportionately more adverse social, mental, and physical health outcomes related to alcohol use. Affiliating with negative peers is a risk factor for alcohol initiation and consumption. Cultural variables have shown moderating effects against other risk factors for African-American youth and therefore were the focus of this study. Specifically, we tested whether three culturally-relevant variables, Africentric beliefs, religiosity, and ethnic identity were promotive or protective for alcohol initiation and use within the context of negative peer affiliations. The sample consisted of 114 at-risk African-American adolescents whose ages ranged from 13 to 20. Participants were administered a questionnaire with measures of alcohol initiation and use, peer risk behaviors, ethnic identity, Africentric beliefs, religiosity, and demographic items. Peer risk behaviors accounted for significant percentages of the variance in age of alcohol initiation, lifetime use, and current and heavy alcohol use after adjusting for age and gender. Cultural variables showed both promotive and protective effects. Africentric beliefs were promotive of delayed alcohol initiation, whereas both Africentrism and religiosity moderated peer risk behaviors effect on alcohol initiation. Africentric beliefs were also inversely related to lifetime alcohol use revealing a promotive effect. Moreover, there were significant protective effects of ethnic identity and religiosity on heavy alcohol consumption. One implication of these findings is that prevention programs that infuse cultural values and practices such as Africentrism, ethnic identity, and religiosity may delay alcohol initiation and reduce use especially for youth with high risk peers.

Youth Audience Segmentation Strategies for Smoking-Prevention Mass Media Campaigns Based on Message Appeal

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 578-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian S. Flynn ◽  
John K. Worden ◽  
Janice Yanushka Bunn ◽  
Anne L. Dorwaldt ◽  
Scott W. Connolly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
African American Youth ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Smoking Prevention ◽  
Audience Segmentation ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
Prevention Messages ◽  
Racial Ethnic ◽  
Media Interventions

Mass media interventions are among the strategies recommended for youth cigarette smoking prevention, but little is known about optimal methods for reaching diverse youth audiences. Grades 4 through 12 samples of youth from four states ( n = 1,230) rated smoking-prevention messages in classroom settings. Similar proportions of African American, Hispanic, and White youth participated. Impact of audience characteristics on message appeal ratings was assessed to provide guidance for audience segmentation strategies. Age had a strong effect on individual message appeal. The effect of gender also was significant. Message ratings were similar among the younger racial/ethnic groups, but differences were found for older African American youth. Lower academic achievement was associated with lower appeal scores for some messages. Age should be a primary consideration in developing and delivering smoking-prevention messages to youth audiences. The unique needs of boys and girls and older African American adolescents should also be considered.

scholarly journals Academic Identity: A Longitudinal Investigation of African American Adolescents’ Academic Persistence

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 714-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheretta T. Butler-Barnes ◽  
Fatima Varner ◽  
Amber Williams ◽  
Robert Sellers
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Youth ◽  
Academic Identity ◽  
Academic Persistence ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
African American Adolescent ◽  
Cultural Assets ◽  
Study Results

Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of academic identification and academic persistence, particularly among African American adolescents. The present study investigated how cultural assets (i.e., private regard and racial centrality) and academic assets (i.e., academic curiosity and academic self-esteem) influence African American adolescent boys’ ( n = 109) and girls’ ( n = 153) academic persistence over time. Additionally, we explored whether oppositional academic identity mediated the relationships between academic and cultural assets and academic persistence. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional longitudinal study. Results indicated significant direct effects of academic assets on academic persistence at Times 1 and 2 for boys and at Times 1, 2, and 3 for girls. Furthermore, oppositional academic identity mediated the relationship between boys’, but not girls’, cultural assets and academic persistence at Time 1. These findings have implications for understanding the role of assets in the lives of African American youth.

Individual- and Family-Level Correlates of Socio-Emotional Functioning among African American Youth from Single-Mother Homes: A Compensatory Resilience Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1355-1384
Author(s):  
Emma M. Sterrett-Hong ◽  
Carlye Kincaid ◽  
Cecily R. Hardaway ◽  
Monica Adams ◽  
Mary MacFarlane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Psychological Control ◽  
Emotional Functioning ◽  
Single Mother ◽  
African American Youth ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
The Family

The majority of research on African American adolescents raised in single-mother homes has focused on externalizing problems, with less attention to other facets of socio-emotional functioning. Using a compensatory resilience approach, the current study examined risk and protective factors at the family (maternal warmth, monitoring, psychological control) and youth (ethnic identity and religiosity) levels as predictors of depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and self-esteem among African American adolescents from single-mother homes ( n = 193). Lower levels of psychological control, higher levels of monitoring, and higher levels of youth ethnic identity were associated with at least one of the outcomes, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and self-esteem. In addition, self-esteem, but not hopelessness, mediated the associations between the family- and youth-level factors and youth depressive symptoms. The importance of targeting maternal psychological control and youth ethnic identity, as well as self-esteem, in intervention programs for African American youth from single-mother families is discussed.

scholarly journals Police Interactions, Perceived Respect, and Longitudinal Changes in Depression in African Americans

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-45
Author(s):  
Sophie I. Leib ◽  
Emma C. Faith ◽  
Samuel R. Vincent ◽  
Steven A. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Adolescent Depression ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Initial Depression ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Introduction: We examined police exchanges' and feelings of discrimination's impact on changes in adolescent depression symptoms. Relative to other races, police speak more disrespectfully to African Americans and often exert unnecessary force. We investigated the impact of these exchanges on depression. Methods: Adolescent Health Study data were analyzed. Latent growth curve modeling with mediation illustrated relationships between police exchanges, perceived discrimination, and depression changes. Results: African American adolescents had significantly higher levels of initial depression than other racial/ethnic identity groups. For African Americans, police exchanges predicted depression changes. Perceived respect predicted levels and changes of depression for both groups, but mediated the relationship between police exchanges and depression changes only in the “other” racial/ethnic identity group. Discussion: Police stoppings impacted depression changes for African Americans independent of perceived respect. Findings highlight a potentially unique relationship between depression and police exchanges among African Americans. Future studies may investigate roles of individual differences.

Cultural and Universal Parenting, Ethnic Identity, and Internalizing Symptoms Among African American Adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 009579842110342
Author(s):  
Lydia HaRim Ahn ◽  
Angel S. Dunbar ◽  
Erica E. Coates ◽  
Mia A. Smith-Bynum
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Analytic Model ◽  
Atlantic Region ◽  
The Relationship

The present study tested a path analytic model that addressed two questions regarding the connection between one aspect of racial socialization (cultural pride reinforcement), communication between mothers and their adolescent children, adolescent ethnic identity, and mental health. First, we tested whether quality of communication moderated the relationship between cultural pride reinforcement and ethnic identity affirmation and anxiety/depressive/withdrawn symptoms. Then, we examined whether cultural pride reinforcement and quality of communication with mothers were directly linked to ethnic identity affirmation and in turn lower anxiety/depressive symptoms and withdrawn behaviors. Our sample included 111 African American adolescents (58.2% female; ages 14–17) in the mid-Atlantic region. Results of a path analysis indicated that cultural pride reinforcement and quality of communication independently and uniquely related to internalizing symptoms through ethnic identity affirmation. Findings contribute to a novel understanding of how both cultural (cultural pride reinforcement) and universal (quality of communication) are important factors to foster African American adolescents’ healthy adjustment and sense of self.

“Broken windows”: Relationship between neighborhood conditions and behavioral health among low-income African American adolescents

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 527-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dexter R Voisin ◽  
Dong Ha Kim
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Use ◽  
African American ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
African American Youth ◽  
African American Adolescents ◽  
Broken Windows ◽  
Neighborhood Conditions

This study explored the association between neighborhood conditions and behavioral health among African American youth. Cross-sectional data were collected from 683 African American youth from low-income communities. Measures for demographics, neighborhood conditions (i.e. broken windows index), mental health, delinquency, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors were assessed. Major findings indicated that participants who reported poorer neighborhood conditions compared to those who lived in better living conditions were more likely to report higher rates of mental health problems, delinquency, substance use, and unsafe sexual behaviors. Environmental factors need to be considered when addressing the behavioral health of low-income African American youth.

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