Underlying mechanisms in the relationship between Africentric worldview and depressive symptoms.

Abstract

This study examines underlying mechanisms in the relationship between an Africentric worldview and depressive symptoms. Participants were 112 African American young adults. An Africentric worldview buffered the association between perceived stress and depressive symptoms. The relationship between an Africentric worldview and depressive symptoms was mediated by perceived stress and emotion-focused coping. These findings highlight the protective function of an Africentric worldview in the context of African Americans' stress experiences and psychological health and offer promise for enhancing African American mental health service delivery and treatment interventions. KeywordsAfricentric worldview; stress; coping; resilience; depression Worldview-defined broadly as a structure of philosophical assumptions, values, and principles that guides one's perceptions and behaviors (Myers, Montgomery, Fine, & Reese, 1996)-has been linked with indices of psychological adjustment such as emotional states and feelings of well-being (Frank, 1977). As interest in developing culturally relevant frameworks for understanding African Americans has increased over the last 2 decades, an Africentric worldview-a worldview of African origins-has been recognized as a cultural construct with implications for African Americans' stress experiences and health outcomes (e.g., Hatter & Ottens, 1998;Myers et al., 1996). Building on the seminal work of African-centered psychologists who have highlighted the beneficial nature of an Africentric worldview in supporting healthy psychological functioning (e.g., Azibo, 1983;Baldwin & Bell, 1985), contemporary scholars have proposed that an Africentric worldview acts as a protective factor against the harmful effects of stress (e.g., Belgrave, Townsend, Cherry, & Cunningham, 1997;Jackson & Sears, 1992 Despite the promise of an Africentric worldview as a culturally relevant construct for African Americans' mental health, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which it might convey its protective effects. In the present study, we examined the protective nature of an Africentric worldview in the association between perceived stress and psychological functioning in a sample of African American college students. In light of the oft-cited association between stress and depressive symptoms (e.g., Israelski et al., 2007;Shaver & Brennan, 1991), and the heightened risk for depressive symptoms and depression during students' transition to college (Kashani & Priesmeyer, 1983), we focused the investigation on depressive symptoms in first-year college students. A second focus of the study was to examine whether the relationship between an Africentric worldview and depressive symptoms was mediated by stress appraisals and/or coping strategies. The metagoal of these research objectives was to elucidate two mechanisms by which an Africentric worldview might operate to positively influence the mental health of African American young adults. An Africentric WorldviewAccording to Myers (1988), worldviews vary ...

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