An Examination of Acculturation, Racial Identity, Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health Outcomes Among Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States
An Examination of Acculturation, Racial Identity, Perceived Discrimination and Mental Health Outcomes Among Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States

Author: Olufunke Rachael Awosogba

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13:

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In the realm of multicultural psychology, focusing on within-group differences facilitates to a deeper understanding of cultural constructs (Bernal, Cumba-Avilés, & Rodriguez-Quintana, 2014). Despite expanded research on acculturation, racial identity, and perceived discrimination on mental health outcomes among various racial and ethnic minority groups, the theoretical and empirical literature focusing on Black immigrants (i.e., Afro-Caribbeans, recent Africans, and their descendants) is scant. This study examined a conceptual model that describes the relationships among acculturation, enculturation, racial centrality, perceived discrimination, and mental health outcomes (specifically, anxiety and depression) among Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States. Two hundred African and Afro-Caribbean adults across 25 states and territories in the United States participated in this study. Using Qualitrics, an online enterprise data collection and survey software, participants completed informed consent forms, a demographic questionnaire, the Measurement of Acculturation Strategies for People of African Descent (MASPAD), the Racial Centrality subscale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI), the Perceived Discrimination Scale (PDS), and the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI). A path analysis was employed to test the fit of the hypothesized model to the data using three widely used fit indices –comparative fit index (CFI), standardized root-mean-square residual (SRMR), and root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA). Two (CFI and SRMR) out of the three fit indices suggested adequate to good model fit. The hypothesized path model proposed that acculturation and enculturation would directly affect anxiety and depression, and that racial identity and perceived discrimination would explain the relationship between these cultural adaptation and mental health outcomes variables. Path coefficients were examined for significance to address the hypotheses. All paths in the model were significant accept direct paths from acculturation and enculturation to anxiety and depression. Overall, acculturation and enculturation had significant effects on anxiety and depression, only indirectly through racial centrality and perceived discrimination. Implications for findings are discussed.

Discrimination, Group Identity, and Mental Health
Discrimination, Group Identity, and Mental Health

Author: Aya Kimura

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 157

ISBN-13:

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The major aim of this dissertation was to investigate the mechanisms through which psychosocial factors (i.e., group identity, self-esteem, mastery, and social support) reduce the deleterious impact of discrimination on the mental health outcomes of racial and ethnic minorities. Based on the stress process model and risk/protective and protective/protective paradigms, this work explored whether and how racial and ethnic group identity (conceptualized as a psychosocial resource) helps minority group members combat the detrimental effects of perceived discrimination on mental health. For this project, data were analyzed from the National Survey of American Life (N=3,006 African Americans; 1,190 Afro-Caribbean Americans; and 491 non-Hispanic European Americans). Consistent with prior studies, the findings showed a positive relationship between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms. Additionally, results indicated that despite higher levels of discrimination and other types of disadvantages reported, racial minorities were able to maintain unexpectedly favorable mental health status, compared to their European American counterparts. With respect to race- and ethnicity-specific findings, the mental health of Caribbean Americans was protected by self-esteem, mastery, and social support in the face of day-to-day discrimination. The pattern differed for European Americans, whose mental health was more protected by self-esteem, and African Americans, whose mental health was protected by mastery. In terms of the role of racial and ethnic group identity, reported closeness to other blacks helped Caribbean Americans to deal with day-to-day discrimination and African Americans to cope with major lifetime discrimination. Alternatively, the evaluative aspect (i.e. positive evaluation of other blacks) of group identity minimized the effect of day-to-day discrimination on depressive symptoms for both Caribbean and African Americans, while the evaluative aspect only helped Caribbean Americans in dealing with major lifetime discrimination. These racial and ethnic variations in the processes through which psychosocial resources protected mental health highlights the importance of paying closer attention to the diversity both across and within racial and ethnic groups.

Racial Identity, Ethnic Identity, and the Link Between Perceived Racism and Psychological Distress in African and Afro-Caribbean Blacks
Racial Identity, Ethnic Identity, and the Link Between Perceived Racism and Psychological Distress in African and Afro-Caribbean Blacks

Author: Olufunke Rachael Awosogba

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13:

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Numerous studies confirm the relationship between perceived racism and psychological distress. Scholars have incorporated group identification to understand this relationship among Black Americans; however, there is a dearth in the literature on other Black ethnic groups. The influx of African and Afro-Caribbean immigrants continues to change the demography of Black America. Despite being racially categorized as Black, these groups have different social and cultural experiences, which influence self-concept and psychological functioning. The proposed study seeks to examine moderation effects of racial identity and ethnic identity in relation to perceived racism and psychological distress in African and Afro-Caribbean Blacks.

Investing in the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults
Investing in the Health and Well-Being of Young Adults

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2015-01-27

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 0309309980

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Young adulthood - ages approximately 18 to 26 - is a critical period of development with long-lasting implications for a person's economic security, health and well-being. Young adults are key contributors to the nation's workforce and military services and, since many are parents, to the healthy development of the next generation. Although 'millennials' have received attention in the popular media in recent years, young adults are too rarely treated as a distinct population in policy, programs, and research. Instead, they are often grouped with adolescents or, more often, with all adults. Currently, the nation is experiencing economic restructuring, widening inequality, a rapidly rising ratio of older adults, and an increasingly diverse population. The possible transformative effects of these features make focus on young adults especially important. A systematic approach to understanding and responding to the unique circumstances and needs of today's young adults can help to pave the way to a more productive and equitable tomorrow for young adults in particular and our society at large. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults describes what is meant by the term young adulthood, who young adults are, what they are doing, and what they need. This study recommends actions that nonprofit programs and federal, state, and local agencies can take to help young adults make a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. According to this report, young adults should be considered as a separate group from adolescents and older adults. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults makes the case that increased efforts to improve high school and college graduate rates and education and workforce development systems that are more closely tied to high-demand economic sectors will help this age group achieve greater opportunity and success. The report also discusses the health status of young adults and makes recommendations to develop evidence-based practices for young adults for medical and behavioral health, including preventions. What happens during the young adult years has profound implications for the rest of the life course, and the stability and progress of society at large depends on how any cohort of young adults fares as a whole. Investing in The Health and Well-Being of Young Adults will provide a roadmap to improving outcomes for this age group as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Relationships Between Experiences with Racism, Psychological Homelessness, and Mental Health Outcomes
Relationships Between Experiences with Racism, Psychological Homelessness, and Mental Health Outcomes

Author: Forogh Rahim

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Race-based discrimination has negative implications for marginalized populations. In the United States, African Americans have been significantly impacted by racism due to the history and legacy of slavery and on-going oppression. While research shows that discrimination impacts the health and relational quality of Black/African Americans, the specific psychological mechanisms remain understudied. One such mechanism may be psychological homelessness described as a sense of disconnection, detachment, or being an outsider in one's own community/country. While psychological homelessness (PH) may be associated with poor health outcomes, a positive racial identity and a sense of belonging to one's racial/ethnic community has been shown to be a protective factor against discrimination distress. This study examined links between internal processes related to race-related marginalization focusing specifically on feelings of PH. To accomplish this goal, we adapted the only existing quantitative measure of PH, previously used with a Salvadoran population for use with Black/African American respondents. We collected data to test the validity and reliability of this adapted measure in an African American sample. In addition, and as part of exploring the psychometrics of the adapted measure, we explored associations between experiences of PH, perceived racism, mental and relational health, and dimensions of racial identity. Our results showed adequate reliability of the adapted measure and indicated that like racial identity, PH moderates the relationship between perceived racism and mental/relational health outcomes. The results of this study are important in understanding the experiences and impact of marginalization and especially as they are influenced by environmental/community context.

To Be an Immigrant
To Be an Immigrant

Author: Kay Deaux

Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation

Published: 2006-08-17

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1610441532

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Immigration is often discussed in broad, statistical terms, with a focus on how it affects labor markets, schools, and social services. But at its most basic level, immigration is a process that affects people and their identities in deeply personal ways. In To Be an Immigrant, social psychologist Kay Deaux explores the role of both social conditions and individual capacities in determining how well immigrants adapt to life in their new homelands, and makes a strong case for the relevance of social psychology in immigration studies. To Be an Immigrant looks at how immigrants are defined, shaped, and challenged by the cultural environment they encounter in their new country and offers an integrated psychological framework for studying the immigrant experience. Deaux argues that in addition to looking at macro-level factors like public policies and social conditions and micro-level issues like individual choices, immigration scholars should also study influences that occur on an intermediate level, such as interpersonal encounters. Each of these three levels of analysis is essential to understanding how immigrants adapt to a new homeland and form distinct identities. As a case study for her framework, Deaux examines West Indians, exploring their perceptions of the stereotypes they face in the United States and their feelings of connection to their new home. Though race plays a limited role in the West Indies, it becomes more relevant to migrants once they arrive in the United States, where they are primarily identified by others as black, rather than Guyanese or Jamaican. Deaux's research adds to a growing literature in social psychology on stereotype threat, which suggests that negative stereotypes about one's group can hinder an individual's performance. She finds that immigrants who have been in the United States longer and identify themselves as African American suffer from the negative effects of stereotype threat more than recent immigrants. More than a discrete event, immigration can be understood as a life-long process that continues to affect people well after they have migrated. To Be an Immigrant takes a novel approach to the study of immigration, looking at how societal influences help shape immigrants and their understanding of who they are.

Mental and Behavioral Health of Immigrants in the United States
Mental and Behavioral Health of Immigrants in the United States

Author: Gordon C. Nagayama Hall

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2020-06-12

Total Pages: 333

ISBN-13: 0128163003

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Mental and Behavioral Health of Immigrants in the United States reviews research on immigrant mental health, acculturation, and multicultural psychology. The book is divided into three sections: Section A addresses the geographic and social context of immigration, including how parents and children navigate the acculturation process, how different cultural orientations affect behavior, and research methods on acculturation. Sections B and C focus on mental health issues common to Latinx, Asian, and Arab/Middle Eastern immigrants, and then more broadly across immigrant groups. Included here are a focus on depression, anxiety, and somatization, as well as alcohol abuse, insomnia, and issues for LGBTQ+ individuals. Pre- and post-migration stressors are discussed, as well as the effects of prejudice and bias, the mental health effects of religion and spirituality, and managing the demands of both work and family. Contributors from psychology, education, and social work provide different perspectives and identify opportunities for future research. Summarizes research on mental health issues common to immigrants Identifies prevalence of mental disorders among ethnic minorities in the United States Examines the impact of group-based discrimination on mental health Explores the impact of acculturation on mental health Reviews mental health issues specific to Latinx, Asian, and Middle Eastern immigrants Covers alcohol abuse, sleep, and other disorders across immigrant groups

Social Epidemiology
Social Epidemiology

Author: Lisa F. Berkman

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2000-03-09

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 9780195083316

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This book shows the important links between social conditions and health and begins to describe the processes through which these health inequalities may be generated. It reviews a range of methodologies that could be used by health researchers in this field and proposes innovative future research directions.