Black women and white women: do perceptions of childhood family environment differ?
BACKGROUND
Few studies have examined racial differences in perceptions of childhood. Little is known about how Blacks perceive their own families, particularly the family environment that they experienced in childhood.


METHODS
A community sample of 290 women (55% White, 45% Black) from two-parent families, heterogeneous in age and social class, was examined using a self-administered questionnaire, including the Family Environment Scale (FES), followed by a focused interview. Siblings were used as collateral informants.


RESULTS
The psychometric properties of the FES showed remarkably little variation by race: The internal scale reliability, correlations between scales, and factor structures were quite similar. Although both White and Black women reported good childhood family environments, Black women when compared with White women rated their families of origin as more cohesive, organized, and expressive, and lower in conflict. Sibling responses corroborated these findings.


CONCLUSIONS
This study addresses a gap in the research literature and provides important evidence of strengths in Black family relationships as reported by a community sample of women. The psychometric properties of the FES, found to be strong for families of both races, lends support to our findings and those of other researchers who have used this measure.
Clay
Cassandra M
CM
Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, USA. cmclay@bu.edu
Ellis
Michael A
MA
Griffin
Margaret L
ML
Amodeo
Maryann
M
Fassler
Irene R
IR
D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D012801:Sibling Relations; D012931:Social Environment; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012951:Socialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*