Poster #105 - Black Adolescents’ Discrimination and Adverse Childhood Experiences Predicting Outcomes: Testing Ethnic-Racial Socialization Components as Moderators

• In Event: Poster Session 09

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and racial discrimination have consistently been associated with poorer physical and mental health outcomes (Lavner et al., 2022; Liming & Grube, 2018). However, several gaps remain. First, work on ACEs has predominantly focused on adults’ retrospective accounts, rather than individuals’ accounts of their experiences up to adolescence. Understanding these early processes is essential for developing youth interventions aimed to prevent cascading effects over time. Second, ACEs and discrimination are often examined in relation to negative mental health outcomes (e.g., worsened anxiety), but we know less about how these stressful experiences disrupt positive developmental skills, such as internal and external developmental assets (DAs). Third, limited work has focused on how cultural processes (e.g., cultural socialization and preparation for bias) are protective in disrupting these risk pathways. Thus, the goals of the present study were to examine whether: (a) racial discrimination and ACEs informed depressive symptoms, internal DAs, and external DAs, and (b) cultural socialization and preparation for bias moderated associations.

The current study included 86 Black adolescents and their caregivers from a larger study on youth violence prevention. Caregivers’ education level was diverse (35% did not graduate high school, 36% graduated high school or obtained a GED, and 29% attended or graduated from college). A large portion of caregivers reported an income of less than $10,000 (49%), and marital status as single and never married (55%). Approximately half of the adolescents (53.48%) were female and between 12 and 17 years of age (M = 14.3, SD = 1.7). Study measures (i.e., Hughes and Johnson, 2001; Radloff, 1977; Search Institute, 2010; Umaña-Taylor et al., 2004; Williams et al., 1997) have been found to be reliable and valid among Black individuals.

The current study used Mplus to test 2 models: a model with discrimination and a model with ACEs predicting outcomes and moderated by cultural socialization and preparation for bias. In the first model, ACEs predicted less internal DAs, but this relation was moderated by cultural socialization. At low and medium cultural socialization, ACEs informed less DAs, but at high cultural socialization, this relation became non-significant (Figure 1). Also, ACEs predicted more depressive symptoms, but this relation was moderated by preparation for bias. At low and medium preparation for bias, ACEs informed greater depressive symptoms, but at high preparation for bias, this relation became non-significant (Figure 2). ACEs predicted more external DAs, but neither moderator was significant. In the second model, discrimination predicted less external DAs, but this relation was moderated by preparation for bias. At low and medium preparation for bias, discrimination informed less external DAs, but at high preparation for bias, this relation became non-significant. In addition, discrimination predicted less internal DAs and greater depressive symptoms, but neither moderator was significant in these relations. Discussion will center on the importance of bolstering cultural socialization and preparation for bias processes among Black caregivers and teens as a way to prevent racial discrimination and ACEs from negatively impacting youths’ development and mental health.

Authors

• Chelsea Williams, Virginia Commonwealth University
  Presenting Author

• Roderick Paige, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Arlenis Santana, Virginia Commonwealth University

• Cynara Wise

• Carine Leslie

• Terri Norton Sullivan, Virginia Commonwealth University