Dealing with discrimination: Parents' and adolescents' racial discrimination experiences and parenting in African American families

Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2020 Apr;26(2):215-220. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000281. Epub 2019 Apr 25.

Abstract

Objectives: Survey data of 155 Midwestern African American adolescents (Mage = 13.25, 54.8% female) and their parents were assessed to examine whether parents' racial discrimination experiences and adolescents' gender moderated the association between adolescents' racial discrimination experiences and involved-vigilant parenting.

Methods: Path analyses were conducted with racial discrimination and gender at Wave 1 predicting parenting at Wave 2, controlling for Wave 1 parenting and demographic variables.

Results: Boys with high levels of racial discrimination experiences and who had parents with low racial discrimination experiences had declines in involved-vigilant parenting. There were no significant differences in involved-vigilant parenting by level of racial discrimination experience among girls.

Conclusions: The results indicate that parenting may depend on both parents' and adolescents' racial discrimination experiences and characteristics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Black or African American / psychology*
  • Black or African American / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parenting / psychology*
  • Parents / psychology
  • Racism / psychology*
  • Sex Factors
  • Surveys and Questionnaires