Observed dyadic racial socialization disrupts the association between frequent discriminatory experiences and emotional reactivity among Black adolescents

Understanding the underlying mechanisms by which racism degrades mental health and the factors that disrupt these mechanisms is paramount. Black adolescents (Mage = 15.5) and their mothers (Mage = 44) were observed discussing a hypothetical discriminatory situation and surveyed about their discrimin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development 2022-01, Vol.93 (1), p.39-57
Main Authors: Dunbar, Angel S., HaRim Ahn, Lydia, Coates, Erica E., Smith‐Bynum, Mia A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Advocacy
African Americans
Anger
Black people
Discrimination
Dyads
Embarrassment
Emotional Experience
Emotional Response
Emotions
Female
Frustration
Humans
Internalization
Male
Mental health
Mothers
Pain
Racial Bias
Racial Discrimination
Racial Groups
Racial socialization
Racism
Reactivity
Sadness
Socialization
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
Teenagers
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Summary:Understanding the underlying mechanisms by which racism degrades mental health and the factors that disrupt these mechanisms is paramount. Black adolescents (Mage = 15.5) and their mothers (Mage = 44) were observed discussing a hypothetical discriminatory situation and surveyed about their discriminatory experiences (N = 110). Results indicated that adolescents’ submissive emotional reactivity (e.g., sadness, embarrassment) in direct response to discrimination, rather than dominant reactivity (e.g., anger, frustration), was the primary mechanism explaining the link between discrimination and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Maternal advocacy combined with high levels of dyadic warmth and emotion expression reduced girls’ submissive reactivity, whereas a more directive “no‐nonsense” advocacy approach reduced boys’ submissive reactivity. Findings demonstrate how racial socialization can disrupt the pain of discrimination.
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/cdev.13680