Jewelle Taylor Gibbs

Identity and marginality: issues in the treatment of biracial adolescents.

Teenagers of mixed black and white parentage face peculiar difficulties in the developmental tasks of adolescence. The major conflicts and coping mechanisms of this group are examined, as are the clinical and sociocultural issues in its assessment and diagnosis. Specific treatment techniques are delineated.

Black adolescents and youth: an endangered species.

An analysis of major social indicators shows that black youth are relatively worse off in the 1980s than they were in 1960 in rates of unemployment, delinquency, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, and suicide. Collaborative efforts among social service agencies, community organizations, and parents to develop preventive approaches to these interrelated problems are urged, and a national policy for children and families is called for.

Mental health and well-being of black women: Toward strategies of empowerment

This review of the literature on Black womens mental health has three goals: 1) to describe the mental health issues, needs, and adaptive behaviors of Black women; 2) to discuss the research, intervention, and public policy efforts of mental health professionals and Black womens groups to address the multiple needs of this population; and 3) to identify effective strategies by which community psychologists can improve the mental health status of Black women through efforts to reduce their environmental stressors, to increase their resources and access to services, and to facilitate their empowerment in American society. The authors propose a number of recommendations to improve Black womens mental health, including changes in research paradigms, changes in education and training programs, and the development of culturally competent service delivery systems.

Clinical and Cultural Issues in the Treatment of Biracial and Bicultural Adolescents

The authors present research findings based on clinical case studies of biracial/bicultural adolescents. In presenting these findings, the authors have four goals: (1) to identify the major conflicts experienced by biracial and bicultural adolescents in mastering developmental tasks; (2) to delineate clinical and sociocultural issues in the assessment of these youth and their families; (3) to propose strategies of intervention for these youth; and (4) to suggest implications for clinical training and practice.

The interpersonal orientation in mental health consultation: Toward a model of ethnic variations in consultation

A model of an interpersonal orientation to consultation was proposed in an effort to conceptualize the initial response of Black consultess to the use of consultation. The model describes five stages in the consultees approach to the entry phase of consultation, along with five corresponding dimensions of behavior evoked by the consultant. The author suggests that Blacks, due to a combination of historical circumstances and cultural and social patterns and values, initially focus more on the interpersonal aspects of the consultation relationship than on the instrumental aspects. Seven “critical incidentrs” were described to illustrate the differences between Black and White consultees in an inner-city school setting. The implications of the proposed model were discussed in terms of its applicability to other interpersonal transactions such as the therapeutic relationship, student-administrator relationships and other professional relationships. Finally, the usefulness of the concept of an interpersonal orientation which is distinct from an instrumental orientation was demonstrated.

Psychosocial factors associated with depression in urban adolescent females: implications for assessment

The major goals of this research were (1) to determine the incidence of depression in a nonclinical sample of urban adolescent females and (2) to identify demographic, sociocultural, and behavioral factors related to depression in this group. A racially and socioeconomically heterogeneous sample of 116 adolescent girls was recruited from public high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Measures used were the Beck Depression Inventory, the Mooney Problem Check-List, and a brief demographic questionnaire. Depression was found to be significantly related to parental occupation, geographical mobility, and number of self-reported problems. Implications for assessment are discussed.

Gangs as Alternative Transitional Structures: Adaptations to Racial and Social Marginality in Los Angeles and London.

SUMMARY This paper reports the results of a comparative study of youth gangs in minority communities in Los Angeles and London, England. A combined qualitative-quantitative research design was used to obtain information on the experiences, attitudes and behaviors of Black youth who were involved with or influenced by gangs. Measures included two semi-structured interview schedules for focus groups and individual youth, respectively. Demographic data and statistics on social indicators were obtained for this population in both cities from government and social agency reports on rates of school drop-outs, youth unemployment, involvement in the juvenile/criminal justice system, and health/mental health utilization. The sample included a total of 144 African-American youth, ages 15-30, in 17 focus groups and 32 for individual interviews in Los Angeles, and a total of 86 Afro-Caribbean youth, ages 15-24, in ten focus groups and 66 for individual interviews in London. Results suggest that gangs provide minority youth with an alternative transitional structure for achieving social and economic mobility.