Can Parenting Microprotections Buffer Against Adolescents’ Experiences of Racial Discrimination?

Abstract

Previous research highlights the importance and pervasiveness of racial discrimination for minority youth in the United States. Adolescents may experience either personal or group race-based discrimination. While past research found both forms of discrimination are harmful to well-being it is unknown whether parental microprotections, which may buffer against the negative effects of discrimination, protect against both forms of discrimination. Informed by ecological frameworks the present study examined whether parent microprotections (parental warmth/acceptance, cultural socialization, preparation for bias) buffered the effects of personal and group discrimination on adolescents' depressive symptoms. Participants were African American early adolescents (N = 129; 58% female) and their parents (90% mothers). Adolescents attended a Midwestern, Title 1, urban, public middle school and completed surveys in their homerooms and parents completed paper-pencil surveys at home, online or surveys via telephone. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to test whether adolescents' personal and group discrimination at school were related to their reports of depressive symptoms and evaluate whether parent microprotections buffered these associations. Results showed that parental microprotections moderated the effects of personal discrimination on depressive symptoms but did not buffer the effects of group discrimination. These results highlight the importance of distinguishing between personal and group discrimination. Further, additional protective factors need to be identified and tested to better understand parental actions that potentially buffer the negative effects of discrimination.

A Daily Examination of African American Adolescents’ Racial Discrimination, Parental Racial Socialization, and Psychological Affect

“…This finding supports the proposition that racial barrier messages help to provide youth with an understanding of racial discrimination such that they are less shocked by the experience and better prepared to effectively cope (Spencer et al, 1997). In a recent study, Dotterer and James (2018) found that cultural socialization buffered racial discrimination’s effect on African American adolescents’ depressive symptoms and contrary to predictions, preparation for racial bias exacerbated the effect of racial discrimination on depressive symptoms. In addition to measuring racial socialization in general, with no defined period of time (i.e., never to very often ), Dotterer and James (2018) used parents’ reports of given messages to predict adolescent‐reported depressive symptoms “over the past week.” In that study, adolescents may have interpreted messages and behaviors differently than how parents intended, and we can only conclude how parents’ general racial socialization related to adolescents’ more recent feelings.…”

“…Preparation for racial bias messages (e.g., racial barriers) may enable youth to cope with racial discrimination through their increased knowledge of history and ability to attribute a racist encounter to an external source instead of internalizing that racism (Hughes et al, 2006). However, contrary to their predictions, Dotterer and James (2018) found that preparation for racial bias exacerbated the effect of racial discrimination on African American adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Greater awareness of the existence of racial bias in society could influence youth’s expectations of persistent racial discrimination and unfair treatment.…”

“…Messages that emphasize themes such as racial pride and the worth of the individual as a member of their racial group have also been found to serve a protective function to mitigate the impact of exposure to racial discrimination (Dotterer & James, 2018; Hughes et al, 2006; Saleem & Lambert, 2016). For instance, Saleem and Lambert (2016) found that cultural pride messages attenuated the link between African American youth’s personal experiences with racial discrimination and anger.…”

Ethnic–Racial Socialization in the Family: A Decade's Advance on Precursors and Outcomes

“…Among the 69 studies that examined links between preparation for bias and youth adjustment, many reported null associations (e.g., Atkin et al, ; Else‐Quest & Morse, ; Ferrari, Ranieri, Barni, & Rosnati, ; French & Coleman, ; Tran & Lee, ), a few reported both positive and negative effects (e.g., Kyere & Huguley, ), and a few found preparation for bias to be associated with increased risk (e.g., Daga & Raval, ; van Bergen, Ersanilli, Pels, & De Ruyter, ). In terms of risk, some studies found that preparation for bias directly predicted greater maladjustment such as higher depressive symptoms (e.g., Liu & Lau, ; Nelson et al, ), whereas other studies found that it exacerbated the negative effect of stressors on adjustment (e.g., Banerjee, Rowley, & Johnson, ; Dotterer & James, ). In contrast, other studies found preparation for bias to be promotive for youth either because it was directly associated with indicators of positive youth outcomes (e.g., D'hondt, Eccles, Van Houtte, & Stevens, ; Joseph & Hunter, ; Sanchez, Smith, & Adams, ), it reduced the negative effects of risk on youth adjustment (e.g., Schires et al, ), or it enhanced the positive effects of other promotive factors on youth adjustment (e.g., Tran & Lee, ).…”

Ethnic identities of immigrant and native adolescents: development and relationship to life satisfaction

“…As a result, researchers are demanding the need to study ethnic identity in other countries around the world, realizing that empirical research in the USA should not self-evidently be applied to other societies and used as the frame of reference for the field (Verkuyten, 2016). Besides identity concerns adolescents have to deal with (such as occupation, ideology, and gender roles), ethnic minority adolescents have to face other aspects derived from being a member of a group that is typically of lower status and power in society and that may be subject to discrimination (Dotterer & James, 2018).…”