The past several years have seen an increase in racial stressors and violence perpetuated against Black youth. Black youth experience discrimination at alarming rates, and this discrimination can have debilitating effects on their psychosocial well-being. Ethnic–racial socialization (ERS)—that is, communication about race and how to process and manage racism—is critical for many Black families. This socialization provides tools for dealing with racial discrimination that Black youth may then extend and use to manage discrimination generally. However, little is known about how specific ERS messages can be beneficial against discrimination for subgroups of Black youth, despite evidence that culture and nationality may influence how adults prepare youth for discrimination. Thus, in a recently published article in Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychologyopens in new window, the authors examined the effects of discrimination on psychosocial well-being and how the consequences vary on the basis of ERS and ethnicity in a nationally representative sample of African American (AA) and Caribbean Black (CB) adolescents.
The study examined ERS messages alerting youth about racial discrimination accompanied by strategies on how to respond (i.e., preparation for bias), teaching youth to be cautious about interacting with those from other ethnic–racial groups (i.e., promotion of mistrust), and minimizing racial group membership and instead focusing on individual characteristics (i.e., egalitarian views). Participants were 1,170 Black adolescents, of whom 810 were AA and 360 were CB, who participated in the National Survey of American Life Adolescent supplement study. Discrimination was associated with greater stress, less mastery (i.e., perceptions of control), and lower John Henryism active coping (JHAC).
For CB adolescents who reported high preparation for bias, discrimination was associated with fewer mastery beliefs, and the positive link between discrimination and perceived stress was stronger at higher levels of preparation for bias. The meaning and interpretation of ERS messages may differ for CB families who were not racial minorities in their native country or did not receive preparation for racial bias until they immigrated and learned about the history and context of discrimination within the United States. Further, conflicting socialization messages that CB families may provide about opportunities for success alongside barriers due to discrimination may influence adolescents’ sense of mastery or stress.
Discrimination was more strongly linked with less JHAC for youth reporting more egalitarian messages. JHAC is a strategy commonly used by AA adults to overcome racial barriers through prolonged high-effort determination that could be beneficial in the short term but is detrimental over time. Although understudied among adolescents, messages that deemphasize race but do emphasize how hard work overcomes barriers could prevent youth from engaging in overexerting strategies such as JHAC in attempt to overcome discrimination. It is important for adolescents to be resilient against discrimination; however, JHAC may not be a healthy and sustainable coping response to discrimination. Further, the effects of egalitarian messages might differ on the basis of the context and salience of the characteristic that one believes is the reason for the discrimination being experienced. This study contributes a nuanced lens to understand ethnic group heterogeneity in the effects of discrimination and ERS for Black youth. Novel findings suggest that ERS effects differ on the basis of the content of ERS messages, ethnicity, and well-being outcomes of interest. Community and family interventions to address discrimination, integrate ERS, or promote psychosocial well-being among Black youth should consider ethnic group heterogeneity in the Black experience.
This article is in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area. View more articles in the Social Psychology and Social Processes topic area.