Towards a Multidimensional Model of Adaptation for African American Adolescents Exposed to Racial Discrimination

The purposes of the current study were to 1) examine the associations of racial discrimination to internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms and perceived life satisfaction in African American adolescents, and 2) determine Africultural cluster profiles based on indicators of racial socialization, racial identity and culturally relevant coping strategies 3) examine whether cluster profile buffers stress exposed African American adolescents from increased internalizing symptoms, anger and decreased life satisfaction. One hundred-fifty-one African American adolescents (grades 9th - 12th) from four high schools and a community group from a major Midwest city and a major city from the Southeast reported on exposure to racial discrimination experiences, presence of depressive symptoms, presence of anxiety symptoms, anger, general life satisfaction, racial socialization, racial identity, and utilization of coping strategies. Regression analyses revealed that racial discrimination experiences were related to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger. Racial discrimination was not related to perceived life satisfaction. Cluster analytic procedures identified three profiles of Africultural assets based on indicators of racial socialization, racial identity, and use of culturally specific coping strategies. Level of Africultural assets was examined as a moderator of the association of racial discrimination to internalizing symptoms, anger and life satisfaction. Results indicated that level of Africultural assets did not buffer the relationships amongst racial discrimination, depressive and anxiety symptoms, anger, and decreased life satisfaction