The Use of Protective Caregiving to Create Positive Racial-Ethnic Socialization and Mitigate Psychological Outcomes of Racial Discrimination

Abstract

Mitigating the complex longitudinal consequences racism can have on adolescents and their families is challenging. One strategy focuses on racial-ethnic socialization, the process by which society sends messages to individuals about the significance of their race, ethnicity, or cultural values. 1 In a secondary analysis comparing 2 unblended randomized clinical trials of rural Georgia-based familycentered prevention programs originally designed to prevent high risk sexual behavior and substance use by enhancing protective caregiving, Brody et al 2 investigated the ability of these programs to mitigate the association between Black adolescents' encounters with discrimination and mental health problems. 2 The Strong African American-Teen (SAAF-T) program focused on caregivers of 10th graders aged 14 to 16 years, and the Adults in the Making (AIM) program focused on caregivers of 12th graders ages 17 and 18 years. 2 Schools from 12 Georgia counties provided the rosters for recruitment. SAAF-T consisted of a 5-week consecutive program, with 2-hour sessions in which the first hour focused on separate skill-building for adolescents and their caregivers and the second hour focused on interactive application of those skills. 2 Caregivers were taught emotional and instrumental support, limit setting, adaptive racial socialization, and communication about sex and alcohol. 2 Adolescents learned the importance of abiding by household rules, setting goals and plans for the future, and strategies for resisting substance use. 2 AIM was similarly constructed with 6 consecutive weekly 2-hour sessions with adolescents and caregivers developing skills separately. 2 No family dyad completed all of the sessions for either program, with many families working a mean of 40 hours or more per week and living below the federal poverty level (64% of families in SAAF-T; 42% of families in AIM). 2 Follow up for the studies occurred at 6 months and at 18 months for SAAF-T or 27 months for AIM. 2 Both interventions reduced incidence of conduct problems 1.5 to 2 years after completion. 2 Furthermore, adolescents in AIM frequently experiencing discrimination at baseline had fewer increases in anxiety and depression symptoms compared with controls. 2 The study by Brody et al 2 highlights the impact of conscious and unconscious racism, one of the most prevalent and pervasive types of discrimination, and its deleterious effects on Black adolescents' mental health, although racism negatively impacts everyone in the US. Defined as "negative beliefs, attitudes, actions, or behaviors that are based on phenotypic characteristics or ethnic affiliation," 3 racism is a social construct that exists in many forms. A nationwide survey found that more than 50% of youth of African American and Afro-Caribbean decent ages 13 to 17 experienced discrimination in the past year, while a regional survey conducted in the Northeastern US found that 88% of youth of any race aged 8 to 18 years reported ever experiencing racial discrimination. 3,4 Racism exerts profound eff...

Moving suicide prevention upstream by understanding the effect of flourishing on suicidal ideation in midlife: an instrumental variable approach

“…However, meta-analyses have found that common risk factors, including sociodemographic characteristics, psychological factors, physical health, and social relationships, yield limited predictive power for fatal and nonfatal suicidal behavior 6,7 . Besides, suicide risk factors are typically identified through association studies and do not fully account for potential confounding 6 .With the increasing availability and acceptance of integrative health practices, recent literature has suggested strength-based positive psychological interventions as a promising new approach to preventing suicide [8][9][10][11] . These well-being-focused suicide prevention programs can enhance social determinants of health (SDoH) via early intervention among high-risk populations, thus reducing individual and structural burdens of suicidal behaviors.Flourishing reflects a comprehensive assessment of well-being, with multiple complementary frameworks currently being the subject of research [12][13][14][15] .…”

“…With the increasing availability and acceptance of integrative health practices, recent literature has suggested strength-based positive psychological interventions as a promising new approach to preventing suicide [8][9][10][11] . These well-being-focused suicide prevention programs can enhance social determinants of health (SDoH) via early intervention among high-risk populations, thus reducing individual and structural burdens of suicidal behaviors.…”