Ciara Smalls Glover

Racial discrimination-related stress is assumed to be inherent in the frequency of the experience; consequently, few studies have examined individual differences in its appraisal. The current study addresses this gap by investigating racial discrimination distress, measured as reported appraisal and frequency, to improve the assessment of race-related risk. The interaction effect of racial discrimination distress and ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) on dimensions of psychological well-being for African American emerging adults was examined. Using a sample of 442 African American emerging adults ( Mage = 18.66, SD = 1.05, 80% women), path analyses revealed that racial discrimination distress predicted lower self-esteem and higher depressive symptoms. Racial pride and egalitarian messages were protective against the adverse relationship between racial discrimination distress and psychological well-being. The findings support the importance of race-related risk measurement and the role of ERS in models of normative development for African American emerging adults.

This study examined thematic patterns of parents’ engaged coping messages in response to their adolescents’ negative race‐based experiences. Ten focus groups were conducted with 73 Black parents from a Southeastern city (73% female). Using modified grounded theory, narratives that supported adolescent engaged coping were coded for three ethnic‐racial socialization messages, the perpetrator, and the setting, followed by inductive (open) coding. The majority of experiences were school‐related. Themes were informed by parents’ critical engagement, ethnic‐racial socialization, and engaged racial coping. Findings revealed that parents advised a repertoire of engaged coping strategies, from actively confronting interpersonal perpetrators (e.g., peers), to critically engaging with institutional perpetrators. Strategies to develop adolescents’ critical reflection and anti‐racism actions to dismantle racism across contexts are discussed.