Laura P. Kohn-Wood

Racial Identity and Academic Attainment Among African American Adolescents

In this study, the relationships between racial identity and academic outcomes for African American adolescents were explored. In examining race beliefs, the study differentiated among (a) importance of race (centrality), (b) group affect (private regard), and (c) perceptions of societal beliefs (public regard) among 606 African American 17-year-old adolescents. Using cluster analysis, profiles of racial identity variables were created, and these profile groups were related to educational beliefs, performance, and later attainment (high school completion and college attendance). Results indicated cluster differences across study outcomes. Also, the relationships between academic attitudes and academic attainment differed across groups. Finally, the paper includes a discussion on the need to consider variation in how minority youth think about group membership in better understanding their academic development.

Chill, be cool man: African American men, identity, coping, and aggressive ideation

Aggression is an important correlate of violence, depression, coping, and suicide among emerging young African American males. Yet most researchers treat aggression deterministically, fail to address cultural factors, or consider the potential for individual characteristics to exert an intersectional influence on this psychosocial outcome. Addressing this gap, we consider the moderating effect of coping on the relationship between masculine and racial identity and aggressive ideation among African American males (N = 128) drawn from 2 large Midwestern universities. Using the phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory and person-centered methodology as a guide, hierarchical cluster analysis grouped participants into profile groups based on their responses to both a measure of racial identity and a measure of masculine identity. Results from the cluster analysis revealed 3 distinct identity clusters: Identity Ambivalent, Identity Appraising, and Identity Consolidated. Although these cluster groups did not differ with regard to coping, significant differences were observed between cluster groups in relation to aggressive ideation. Further, a full model with identity profile clusters, coping, and aggressive ideation indicates that cluster membership significantly moderates the relationship between coping and aggressive ideation. The implications of these data for intersecting identities of African American men, and the association of identity and outcomes related to risk for mental health and violence, are discussed.

Coping styles, depressive symptoms and race during the transition to adulthood

In this study, we investigated the relationship between religious coping and depressive symptoms for 467 Black and White American college students from two large Midwestern Universities. We also examined the effects of different religious coping styles on depressive symptoms by race. Chi-square tests indicated that Blacks reported greater use of active and passive religious coping styles in comparison to Whites. Multivariate regression analyses indicated that neither active nor passive religious coping was independently related to depressive symptoms for Blacks or Whites, however, coping without invoking religious beliefs was related to fewer depressive symptoms for Blacks (ß = −0.329, p = 0.001). The results may provide evidence of race differences in religious coping patterns that exist during the transition to adulthood and that Black American young adults may utilise religious coping methods to mitigate psychological distress independent of other indicators of religiosity like church attendance and clergy support, which tend to increase with age.

Environmental Justice and the Well-being of Poor Children of Color

Research shows that low-income communities of color are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards and that children are particularly susceptible to environmental risks due to their developing physiology. This chapter describes a collaborative studyinvolving researchers and Detroit Head Start parents to examine the impact of environmental hazards on their children’s well-being through a method called Photovoice. Using Photovoice, a participatory research methodology through which participants photodocument how the environment affects the health of their families and community, Head Start parents identified hazards in the physical environment, including abandoned buildings and vacant plots that had become illegal dumping grounds, as well as strengths within their community. Through this process, parents gained a better understanding of the environmental risks in the area as well as an insight into appropriate community strategies to address these concerns. Environmental justice training complemented the Photovoice project so that parents could further increase their awareness and advocacy skills, and ultimately take action against these imposing hazards.

Race, Social Identity, and Generative Spaces Miami as a Microcosm of Categorical Complexity in a 21st-Century Global City

This article draws principally from the work of preeminent sociologist Alejandro Portes on the rise of Miami as a global city (segmented assimilation as well as the institutional bases for social cohesion amid diversity) to propose a blueprint for reducing social inequality in Greater Miami. Employing key insights from psychology and sociology, we bring together data and research on macro-level structural changes, meso-level dynamics of city politics and institutions, and micro-level dimensions of interactions and attitudes to highlight prospects for promoting ethnoracial interdependence. The diversity and transience that characterize Miami create a major opportunity to disrupt ethnoracial social and economic inequality. Strong public coordinating institutions are required, guided by necessary conditions that facilitate the closing of group-based social distance. We propose three cases—children-targeted programming, emerging prospects in health care, and diversity focused planning in education and housing—as offering opportunities to place Miami 2030 on the path toward cohesive and egalitarian diversity.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in African Americans: a two year follow-up study.

The present study was a prospective, naturalistic, longitudinal investigation of the two year course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of African Americans with anxiety disorders. The study objectives were to examine the two year course of PTSD and to evaluate differences between African Americans with PTSD and anxiety disorders and African Americans with anxiety disorders but no PTSD with regard to comorbidity, psychosocial impairment, physical and emotional functioning, and treatment participation. The participants were 67 African Americans with PTSD and 98 African Americans without PTSD (mean age 41.5 years, 67.3% female). Individuals with PTSD were more likely to have higher comorbidity, lower functioning, and they were less likely to seek treatment than those with other anxiety disorders but no PTSD. The rate of recovery from PTSD over two years was 0.10 and recovery from comorbid Major Depressive Disorder was 0.55. PTSD appears to be persistent over time in this population. The rates of recovery were lower than what has been reported in previous longitudinal studies with predominantly non-Latino Whites. It is imperative to examine barriers to treatment and factors related to treatment engagement for this population.

Ethnic Minority Mental Health Strengths in the United States

Persistent epidemiological evidence for racial health disparities has received significant attention. Less understood is the data showing reduced risk for several psychiatric disorders among Blacks and Latinos in the United States in comparison to Whites. This paradox is explored by examining several underlying explanations such as underreporting or cultural issues in assessment. Primarily, however, this review centers on the evidence for several forms of resilience among Blacks and Latinos that may serve as protective factors for mental health, including religion and spirituality, racial or ethnic identity, and culturally based coping strategies developed as a function of marginalized status.