The influence of cognitive development and perceived racial discrimination on the psychological well-being of African American youth.
The present study examined the influence of cognitive development in the relationship between multiple types of racial discrimination and psychological well-being. A sample of 322 African American adolescents (53% female), aged 13-18, completed measures of cognitive development, racial discrimination, self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Based on the cognitive development measure, youth were categorized as having pre-formal or formal reasoning abilities. The results indicate no significant differences in perceptions of individual, cultural or collective/institutional racism between pre-formal reasoning and formal reasoning adolescents. However, the results do suggest that perceptions of collective/institutional racism were more harmful for the self-esteem of pre-formal reasoning youth than the self-esteem of formal reasoning youth. The implications for the racial discrimination literature among African American adolescents are discussed.
Seaton
Eleanor K
EK
Department of Psychology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 3270, 208 Davie Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, USA. eseaton@unc.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D003071:Cognition; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011287:Prejudice; D014505:Urban Population