The purpose of this study was to examine the relative importance of racial socialization and social support in the resiliency of African Americans. It was hypothesized that social support and racial socialization would predict the resiliency of 154 African American undergraduate students at a large midwestern university. They completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MPSS), the Teenager Experience of Racial Socialization Scale (TERS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Findings from hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that receiving racial socialization messages and perceiving that one had social support accounted for the largest proportion of variance in resiliency scores. Implications for parents and mental health providers are discussed.

Research has indicated that racial discrimination places African Americans at risk for psychological distress, in which they experience low levels of well-being. Yet many African Americans are resilient, or have preserved well-being, when faced with this adversity. Using a strength-based approach, this study determined whether racial socialization messages preserved African Americans’ resilience when experiencing racial discrimination. Results with a sample of 290 young adult African American college students indicated that overall racial socialization messages, as well as specific messages to appreciate cultural legacy, moderated the relationship between racial discrimination and resilience. As expected, racial discrimination was negatively related to resilience for students who reported fewer racial socialization messages, and racial discrimination was no longer negatively associated with resilience for students reporting a greater number of these messages. Additionally, racial socialization messages predicted unique variance in resilience.

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The historical image of the Black Jezebel - a hypersexual, seductive and manipulative slave woman - has been one of the most pervasive and evolving images influencing the sexual socialization and perceptions of African American women today. This preliminary study examined generational differences in the endorsement of modern depictions of the Jezebel, as well as the relationship between racial-ethnic esteem and endorsement of this sexualised image. A total of 249 African American women completed an online, self-report questionnaire assessing study variables. Results suggested that younger women (aged 18-34) may exhibit higher endorsement of the modern Jezebel depictions. Additionally, aspects of racial-ethnic esteem may be linked to lower endorsement of modern Jezebel depictions among younger and older (55 years and older) African American women. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

The present study examined the relative influence of aspects of internalized racism on the career aspirations of a sample of African American adults. Participants (N ¼ 315), ranging in age from 18 to 62 years, completed measures of internalized racism and career aspirations online. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the relative influence of internalized racism. Regression results indicated that participants who devalued and dismissed an African worldview and its themes had lower career aspirations.