Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Feb;38(2):175-88.
doi: 10.1007/s10964-008-9346-z. Epub 2008 Sep 23.

It takes a village: protecting rural African American youth in the context of racism

Cady Berkel  1 , Velma McBride Murry, Tera R Hurt, Yi-fu Chen, Gene H Brody, Ronald L Simons, Carolyn Cutrona, Frederick X Gibbons
Affiliations

It takes a village: protecting rural African American youth in the context of racism

Cady Berkel et al. J Youth Adolesc. 2009 Feb.

Abstract

Prior research demonstrates negative consequences of racism, however, little is known about community, parenting, and intrapersonal mechanisms that protect youth. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study illuminated linkages between positive and negative contextual influences on rural African American adolescent outcomes. Quantitative results provide support for Structural Ecosystems Theory, in that the influence of discrimination and collective socialization on adolescent outcomes was mediated by racial socialization and positive parenting. Parenting and community influences contributed to adolescent racial identity and self image, which protected against common negative responses to racism; including academic underachievement, succumbing to peer pressure, and aggressive tendencies. Qualitative results indicate that current measures of discrimination may underestimate adolescents' experiences. Adolescents reported racist experiences in the domains of school, peers, and with the police (males only). Moreover, qualitative findings echoed and expanded quantitative results with respect to the importance of the protective nature of parents and communities.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hypothetical model
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Final model. Notes: χ2 (63, N = 373) = 102.40, p ≤ .01, RMSEA = .04 (.03, .06). ***p ≤ .001; **p ≤ .01
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Arbuckle JL. Amos 5.0. Chicago, IL: SPSS; 2003.
    1. Arbuckle JL, Wothke W. Amos 4.0 user’s guide. Chicago: SmallWaters Corporation; 1999.
    1. Brehm SS. President’s column: Another hate crime on campus. Monitor on Psychology. 2007;38(10):5.
    1. Brody GH, Chen Y-f, Murry VM, Ge X, Simons RL, Gibbons FX, et al. Perceived discrimination and the adjustment of African American youths: A five-year longitudinal analysis with contextual moderation effects. Child Development. 2006;77(5):1170–1189. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00927.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brody GH, Ge X, Conger RD, Gibbons FX, Murry VM, Gerrard M, et al. The influence of neighborhood disadvantage, collective socialization, and parenting on African American children’s affiliation with deviant peers. Child Development. 2001;72(4):1231–1246. doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.00344. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types