Faye Z. Belgrave

Gender Roles, Power Strategies, and Precautionary Sexual Self-Efficacy: Implications for Black and Latina Women's HIV/AIDS Protective Behaviors

This cross-sectional study tested a conceptual model of womens HIV/AIDS protective behaviors using gender roles, relationship power strategies, and precautionary sexual self-efficacy as predictors in a predominantly Black and Latina community sample of heterosexual women (N = 125). Results revealed no support for the full model, but partial confirmation for several components of the model. Education significantly predicted gender roles, and gender roles and use of direct power strategies were significant predictors of sexual self-efficacy. Most of the participants were married or partnered and were unconcerned about contracting HIV, suggesting that if women perceive that they are at low or no risk, their gender roles, power strategies, and precautionary sexual self-efficacy will be inconsequential to their HIV/AIDS risk reduction practices.

The Influence of Africentric Values, Self-Esteem, and Black Identity on Drug Attitudes among African American Fifth Graders: A Preliminary Study

The relevance of Africentric values and beliefs has been articulated by a number of African American scholars. Moreover, Africentric frameworks have been used in the design and implementation of substance abuse prevention programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of Africentric values along with self-esteem and Black identity on drug attitudes amongfifth graders. Measures of Africentric values, self-esteem, and Black identity were obtained from 54 African Americanfifth graders. A regression analysis indicated that Africentric values significantly explained drug attitudes. Self-esteem andiBlack identity were not significant contributors to explaining drug attitudes. Self-esteem and Black identity were significantly related to each other; self-esteem was negatively correlated with Africentric values. The findings of the study are discussed, including the implications for the inclusion of Africentric values when looking at drug attitudes and behaviors.

The influence of an Africentric worldview and demographic variables on drug knowledge, attitudes, and use among African American youth

Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use are major problems in the inner cities, especially for African American youth. Africentric values may be a protective factor for negative drug outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Africentric values, spirituality, and demographic variables on drug knowledge, attitudes, and use. Participants were 189 4th- and 5th-graders attending public schools in Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland. Measures of Africentric values (i.e., Collective Work/Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, and Self-Determination), spirituality, age, and whether or not the child resided in a two- or one-parent household were obtained. The results of regression analyses indicated that Collective Work/Responsibility and Cooperative Economics were significant predictors of attitudes toward drugs. Collective Work/Responsibility and spirituality were significant predictors of perceived drug harmfulness. Age and spirituality were significant predictors of drug usage. Age was the only significant predictor of drug knowledge. The Collective Work/Responsibility subscale was the strongest predictor of drug outcomes. The implications for using Africentric prevention approaches for decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors for drug use among African American youth are discussed.

NTU: An Africentric Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention Among African American Youth

The primary goal of the NTU project was to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors for ATOD use among African American 5th and 6th graders. The objectives of the NTU program were: 1) to improve knowledge of and increase intolerance of drugs; 2) to improve values; 3) to increase racial identity; 4) to improve self-esteem; 5) to increase knowledge of African culture; 6) to improve family communications; 7) to improve behaviors in school; and 8) to improve problem solving skills. Africentric philosophy and world-view provided the conceptual framework for the development of intervention activities. Intervention components for 5th graders included a rites of passage program, a substance abuse education program, an Africentric education program, a parenting program, and a family therapy program. Sixth graders participated in a booster program designed to reinforce skills and values learned the previous year. Pre and post data were collected from 5th and 6th grade participants in an intervention and a comparison group. Measures of drug knowledge, Africentric values, self-esteem, racial identity, family communication, child behaviors, and problem solving were obtained. The results indicated significant program effects for protective factors including racial identity, knowledge of African culture, self-esteem, and school behaviors.

An Africentric Model for AIDS Education, Prevention, and Psychological Services within the African American Community

There is a widening gap between the growing numbers ofAfrican Americans with HIVand AIDS and culturally specific programs that address education, prevention, and psychological services within the African American community. This article describes an Africentric model for training psychologists who deliver AIDS education, prevention, and services within the African American community. The principles of NTU and Nguzo Saba were used in the training of 75 African American psychologists with the expectation that they would use these principles when doing education, prevention, and intervention activities within their communities. The article provides a historical context and conceptual framework for the program along with a summary of the impact of the program and implications for future programming and research.

Stress, Social Support, and College Adjustment Among Latino Students

This study examined the role of social support and stress on adjustment to college among Latino students. Measures of social support, stress, and adjustment to college were obtained from 77 Latino college students. Social support was positively associated with adjustment and negatively associated with stress. A negative relationship was found between stress and adjustment in bivariate analyses indicating that exposure to stress interferes with adequate adjustment. However, stress did not significantly contribute to adjustment when included with social support in multivariate analyses. The functional nature of support was also examined in this study. Emotional support was associated with better overall and academic adjustment and less stress than instrumental support. there was a significant negative relationship between support from friend/other and stress. Finally, support from friend/other was negatively correlated with stress from exposure to racism. Implications of the study in terms of future research and college programs for Latino students are discussed.

The influence of social support and active coping on depression among African Americans and Latinos with disabilities.

Maria Cecilia ZeaFaye Z. BelgraveTiffany G. TownsendS. Lisbeth JaramaSonia R. BanksGeorge Washington UniversityABSTRACT. Examined relationships among depression, active coping, and socialsupport in a sample of 109 African American and 57 Latinos with disabilities.Measures included Beck and Beck (1972) short version of the Depression Inventory,Brandt and Weinerts (1981,1987) Personal Resources Questionnaire (PRQ), an d thecondensed version of Tylers (1978) Behavioral Attributes of Psychosocial Compe-tence Scale (Zea, Reisen, & Tyler, 1996). Findings indicated that active coping,satisfaction with social support, and type of disability were significant predictors ofdepression for African Americans, whereas active coping, perception of severity ofdisability, and social support were significant predictors of depression for Latinos.These findings underscore the importance of testing separate models for AfricanAmericans and Latinos.Fourteen percent of working-age African Americans and 8% of Latinos havedisabilities which impact functioning in activities of daily living (Bowe, 1990).Educational and employment opportunities are often reduced with an accompanyingreduction in the standard of living for these individuals. For example, only 16% ofAfrican Americans, 13% of Latina women, and 31 % of Latino men with disabilitiesare employed (Bowe, 1985a, 1985b). Inadequate and poor standards of living maygenerate feelings of stress, which feed into an increase in physical and psychologicalsymptoms that further impede an integration into the work force.REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGY Vol. 41, No. 3, 1996

Racial Identity and Self-Esteem Among Black Brazilian Men: Race Matters in Brazil Too!

The contribution of J. E. Helmss (1990) people of color racial identity model to the collective and individual self-esteem of Black Brazilian men (N = 203) was explored. The relationships between racial identity attitudes and other racial constructs such as skin color, racial group self-designation, and racial mistrust were also examined. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the set of racial identity attitudes (conformity, dissonance, resistance, and internalization) was significant in predicting self-esteem (collective and individual). Results from a multivariate analysis of variance showed an effect for skin color on racial attitudes. In addition, racial identity was significantly related to mistrust of Whites by Black Brazilian men. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of racial relations in Brazil.

Psychosocial adjustment among Central American immigrants with disabilities: an exploratory study.

This is an exploratory study that investigated factors influencing the psychosocial adjustment of Central American immigrants with disabilities. The relationships between stress, and perception of disability severity and (a) depression and (b) anxiety were assessed. Furthermore, this study investigated whether social support moderated the impact of stress and severity of disability on depression and anxiety. Stress, severity of disability, and social support explained a high percentage (54%) of the variance in depression. High levels of stress, increased perceptions of severity of disability, and low social support were associated with increased depression. The interactions between support and stress and between support and disability severity did not significantly add to the original model which predicted depression. Main effects were found for stress, disability severity, and the interaction between support and disability severity. Stress and social support significantly accounted for 31% of the variance in anxiety. Increased stress and decreased social support were associated with greater levels of anxiety. The interaction between support and stress did not significantly predict anxiety. Implications of the study in terms of future research and intervention programs targeting mental health outcomes for Latino immigrants with disabilities are discussed.

Psychological Factors Influencing Physical Health in African American College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine the contributions of stress, health beliefs, health behaviors, and gender on physical health outcomes of African American college students. Measures of physical symptoms experienced and perception of health were used as indicators of physical health. The paper presents a model of the relationships among psychological and physical health variables and discusses support (and lack of support) for aspects of the model. Subjects were 59 African American students attending two universities in the Eastern region of the United States. A questionnaire that assessed health beliefs, health behaviors, stress, physical symptoms, and perception of health was administered to each subject. The results of regression analyses indicated that health beliefs and stress explained a significant amount of the variance of physical symptoms and that health behaviors explained a significant amount of the variance in perception of health. Physical symptoms and perception of health were not related to each other suggesting that these are independent concepts.