Poster #101 - Egocentric Social Networks of Black Youth: Sources of Racial Socialization Messages

• In Event: Poster Session 06

Abstract

Racial discrimination disproportionately impacts Black youth, increasing vulnerability for poor mental health. Racial socialization (RS), or the delivery of messages about race and racism, is protective against the consequences of racial discrimination. Yet, research has focused on parents as agents of RS messages, overlooking the role of other supportive figures in broader familial and non-familial contexts (e.g., siblings, peers, teachers). Social network analysis (SNA) provides tools to understand relationship structures, examine the simultaneous influence of social relationships on mental health, and describe how networks may confer protection. Despite its potential, SNA has not been used to identify the multiple sources of RS messages that Black youth are exposed to in their social networks. Leveraging SNA approaches, this study aims to characterize Black youths’ RS social networks across family, school, and community contexts and assess whether network characteristics protect youth from negative mental health outcomes associated with racial discrimination.
Prior to data collection, we developed an egocentric social network interview to identify sources of RS messages across Black youths’ social networks. The interview begins by having participants (egos) identify up to 20 important individuals (alters) in their lives. For each alter, egos report: 1) demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, race, relationship to ego); 2) tie strength (e.g., frequency of contact, closeness, trust); 3) content of RS messages (e.g., preparation for bias, cultural pride) delivered to the ego in the past year; and 4) relationship to other alters in the network (alter-alter ties).
Ongoing since May 2022, this study comprises two phases. During Phase 1, we conducted one focus group and five cognitive interviews with Black youth to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the social network interview. Feedback on wording and length were integrated into the interview prior to Phase 2.
For Phase 2, we are enrolling 100 10-to-17-year-old Black youth to pilot the adapted social network interview and complete additional measures on racial/ethnic identity, perceived racial discrimination, and mental health. Twenty-seven youth (Mage=14.26, SDage=2.05) have participated thus far, and over half have been boys (n=16, 59%). Participants have listed a variety of individuals in their social networks, including friends (n=26, 96%), parents (n=25, 93%), siblings (n=19, 70%), aunts/uncles (n=16, 59%), cousins (n=13, 48%), grandparents (n=11, 41%), teachers (n=11, 41%), romantic partners (n=4, 15%), coaches (n=1, 3.7%), guidance counselors (n=1, 3.7%), and neighbors (n=1, 3.7%). The mean number of alters is 11.56 (SD=5.29, range=4-20; e.g., Figure 1). Most participants have reported receiving cultural socialization (n=26, 96%), preparation for bias (n=25, 93%), and egalitarian messages (n=17, 63%) from at least one alter.
This is the first time SNA has been applied to the study of RS; data will enable a nuanced understanding of the constellation of RS messages provided to Black youth. As we continue data collection, we will calculate additional descriptive statistics to characterize the quality and structure of respondents’ social networks and then fit models to assess buffering effects of RS networks on the association between racial discrimination and mental health.

Authors

• Emily Satinsky, University of Southern California
  Presenting Author

• Isaac Morales

• Eduardo Carreon

• Taryn Buford

• Mythili Iyer

• Chardée Galán, University of Southern California