Kevin Cokley

Testing Cross's Revised Racial Identity Model: An Examination of the Relationship between Racial Identity and Internalized Racialism.

This study tested William Cross’s (1991, 1995) revised racial identity model. The relationship between racial identity attitudes and internalized racialism was examined in 153 African American college students attending a historically Black university. Participants completed the Cross Racial Identity Scale (B. J. Vandiver et al., 2000) and the Nadanolitization Scale (J. Taylor & C. Grundy, 1996). Findings indicated that the pre-encounter racial identity attitudes of miseducation and self-hatred, and immersion– emersion anti-White attitudes, were positively related to beliefs in the mental and genetic deficiencies of Blacks as well as the sexual prowess of Blacks. Pre-encounter assimilation attitudes were negatively related to beliefs in the natural abilities of Blacks, whereas internalization Afrocentricity attitudes were positively related. These results provide support for Cross’s revisions of his racial identity model. Perhaps no other topic in the multicultural counseling and psychology literature has been as heavily researched with African Americans as that of racial identity. During a span of over 30 years dating back to Cross’s (1971) seminal contribution, research on racial identity has increased considerably. A review of dissertations pertaining to African Americans reveals that racial identity has been an increasingly popular area of inquiry for graduate students. These studies have overwhelmingly relied on the original nigrescence model (Cross, 1971). The original nigrescence model described developmental stages that Blacks in America go through to obtain a psychologically healthy Black identity. In the original model, there were five stages (pre-encounter, encounter, immersion– emersion, internalization, and internalization commitment). The model was then operationalized using the Racial Identity Attitudes Scale (RIAS; Parham & Helms, 1981). The RIAS currently has three different versions (RIAS, RIAS-B, and RIAS-L) and has been the subject of a number of psychometric investigations that have raised concerns about the validity of the instruments (Fisher, Tokar, & Serna, 1998; Ponterotto & Wise, 1987;

Sociocultural attitudes and symptoms of bulimia: Evaluating the SATAQ with diverse college groups.

This study evaluated the utility of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ; L. J. Heinberg, J. K. Thompson, & S. Stormer, 1995) for the assessment of diverse college groups, including men, women, minorities, and sorority members. Scores from the SATAQ were compared with the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2; D. M. Garner, 1991) for a sample of 405 college students at a large midwestern university. Significant group differences were observed on the scales assessing awareness of sociocultural pressures to be thin and internalization of these attitudes. These scores were highest among the Caucasian women, Caucasian sorority, and Hispanic sorority groups. However, construct validity was only demonstrated for the Internalization scale and was strongest for the Caucasian women, suggesting that sociocultural awareness may hold unique meaning for diverse groups. The need for the development of more specific measures assessing sociocultural pressures, internalization, and the implications for counseling psychologists is discussed.

Horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism-collectivism: a comparison of African Americans and European Americans.

The current study examined ethnic differences in horizontal and vertical dimensions of individualism and collectivism among 96 African American and 149 European American college students. Participants completed the 32-item Singelis et al. (1995) Individualism/Collectivism Scale. Multivariate analyses of variance results yielded a main effect for ethnicity, with African Americans being significantly higher on horizontal individualism and European Americans being higher on horizontal collectivism and vertical individualism. A moderated multiple regression analysis indicated that ethnicity significantly moderated the relationship between individualism and collectivism. Individualism and collectivism were significantly and positively associated among African Americans, but not associated among European Americans. In addition, collectivism was related to grade point average for African Americans but not for European Americans. Contrary to the prevailing view of individualism-collectivism being unipolar, orthogonal dimensions, results provide support for individualism-collectivism to be considered as unipolar, related dimensions for African Americans.

A Preliminary Investigation of Academic Disidentification, Racial Identity, and Academic Achievement Among African American Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to examine academic disidentification along with demographic and psychological factors related to the academic achievement of African American adolescents. Participants included 96 African American students (41 males, 55 females) in an urban high school setting located in the Southwest. Consistent with previous research, academic disidentification was determined by looking for an attenuation of the correlation between academic self-concept and grade point average (GPA) of male and female students. The relationship between academic self-concept and grade point average significantly decreased for African American males, while it significantly increased for African American females. Demographic factors included age and sex, while psychological factors included academic self-concept, devaluing academic success, and racial identity. Results of a hierarchical regression indicated that sex and academic self-concept were significant positive predictors of GPA, while age and racial identity were significant negative predictors, accounting for 50% variance. Academic self-concept was the strongest predictor of GPA. Implications of the results are discussed.

The moderating role of ethnicity in the relation between religiousness and mental health among ethnically diverse college students.

Many studies have documented the links between dimensions of religiousness with mental health (e.g., Hackney and Sanders 2003; Mofidi et al. 2006). However, very little is known about whether these links differ across ethnic groups. This study examined the contribution of dimensions of religiousness to the prediction of mental health in an ethnically diverse sample of 413 college students (167 European Americans, 83 African Americans, 81 Asian Americans, and 82 Latino Americans). Results indicated significant ethnic differences across dimensions of religiousness. African Americans were significantly higher on religious engagement and religious conservatism than the other ethnic groups and significantly lower on religious struggle than European Americans. Moderated multiple regressions revealed that increases in religious struggle was associated with poorer mental health for African Americans and Latino Americans, while increases in religious engagement and ecumenical worldview were associated with better mental health for African Americans. The findings indicate that ethnicity is an important factor to consider when examining the link between religiousness and mental health.

Impostor feelings as a moderator and mediator of the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among racial/ethnic minority college students.

This study investigated whether impostor feelings would both moderate and mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health in a sample of diverse ethnic minority college students (106 African Americans, 102 Asian Americans, 108 Latino/a Americans) at an urban public university. African American students reported higher perceived discrimination than Asian American and Latino/a American students, while no racial/ethnic group differences were reported for impostor feelings. Analyses revealed that among African American students, high levels of impostor feelings moderated the perceived discrimination and depression relationship and mediated the perceived discrimination and anxiety relationship. Among Asian American students, impostor feelings mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and both depression and anxiety. Among Latino/a American students low levels of impostor feelings moderated the relationship between perceived discrimination and both depression and anxiety, and partially mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and anxiety. Multigroup path analyses revealed a significantly stronger impact of impostor feelings on depression among African American students and a stronger impact of perceived discrimination on impostor feelings among African American and Latino/a American students. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Black Lives Matter: A Call to Action for Counseling Psychology Leaders

Police brutality and widespread systemic racism represent historical and current sources of trauma in Black communities. Both the Black Lives Matter movement and counseling psychology propose to confront these realities at multiple levels. Black Lives Matter seeks to increase awareness about systemic racism and promote resilience among Black people. Counseling psychology states values of multiculturalism, social justice, and advocacy. Executive leadership in counseling psychology may seek to promote racial justice, yet struggle with how to participate in Black Lives Matter movements and address racial discrimination within larger systems spontaneously and consistently. However, counseling psychology trainees and professionals are actively involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, leading the way forward. Through the framework of spontaneity in social movements, this manuscript highlights what counseling psychologists are currently contributing to Black Lives Matter and makes recommendations that build on the opportunity counseling psychologists have for further involvement in the movement.

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Academic Motivation Scale With Black College Students

The factor structure of the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) was examined with a sample of 578 Black college students. A confirmatory factor analysis of the AMS was conducted. Results indicated that the hypothesized seven-factor model did not fit the data. Implications for future research with the AMS are discussed.

A 12-Year Content Analysis of the Journal of Black Psychology (2000-2011) Implications for the Field of Black Psychology

A content analysis was conducted of research published in the Journal of Black Psychology (JBP) during a 12-year period (2000-2011). A total of 276 articles were classified into 17 content categories. Similar to the previous JBP content analysis, the most frequently published authors and institutions were identified and ranked. The most highly cited articles were also identified. In addition, gender-focused articles and articles involving racial/ethnic group comparisons were identified. The most popular areas of research and publication in the JBP were in mental health and well-being, personality and identity (i.e., racial identity), culture, and physiological functioning and health psychology. These four categories accounted for 57% of the articles published. Results of this content analysis indicate a sharp increase in research on mental health and culture, while other areas remained consistent with the previous JBP content analysis. The dearth of African-centered psychological research was also noted. Implications for the field of Black psychology in the areas of African-centered research, defining Black psychology, and conducting race comparative research are discussed.

Exploring the Impact of Increasing the Number of Black Men in Professional Psychology

The underrepresentation of Black men in professional psychology represents a critical issue, but this topic has received relatively limited coverage in the extant literature. Given the complex challenges facing many Black communities, we contend that increasing the number of African American male professional psychologists represents one component of the multi-pronged plan to tackle these problems. However, there is a dearth of scholarship that explicitly highlights the potential contributions Black men can make to professional psychology, particularly those with an African/Black psychology lens. We address this gap by exploring the impact of increasing the number of Black male professional psychologists. We detail the contributions Black male psychologists can make in clinical, academic, and research settings, with a particular focus on how their work can affect outcomes for Black boys and men in these three settings. Embedded in our analysis, we highlight the need to incorporate an African/Black psychology lens to address the needs of Black communities. We also examine how the increased presence of Black male professional psychologists can potentially influence other Black men to consider and enter the field. This information will be of particular interest to educators, researchers, and practitioners invested in enhancing the professional psychology pipeline for Black men.