The present study focused on the content and practice of racial socialization by black parents. Sociodemographic correlates of patterns of racial socialization were examined using data from a national probability sample of 2,107 respondents (National Study of Black Americans). Multivariate analysis revealed that gender, age, marital status, region, and racial composition of neighborhood predicted whether or not black parents imparted racial socialization messages to their children. Black parents envision racial socialization as involving several components, including messages regarding their experience as minority group members, themes emphasizing individual character and goals, and information related to black cultural heritage. The findings highlighted the critical importance of sociodemographic and environmental influences on the socialization process. Implications for future research on racial socialization are discussed.

The present study focused on the content and practice of racial socialization by black parents. Sociodemographic correlates of patterns of racial socialization were examined using data from a national probability sample of 2,107 respondents (National Study of Black Americans). Multivariate analysis revealed that gender, age, marital status, region, and racial composition of neighborhood predicted whether or not black parents imparted racial socialization messages to their children. Black parents envision racial socialization as involving several components, including messages regarding their experience as minority group members, themes emphasizing individual character and goals, and information related to black cultural heritage. The findings highlighted the critical importance of sociodemographic and environmental influences on the socialization process. Implications for future research on racial socialization are discussed.

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A positive sense of control over one's life is essential for maintaining health and wellbeing. Those with a strong sense of control believe changes in their social world are responsive to their choices, actions, and efforts. In contrast, a sense of powerlessness or fatalism is on the other end of the continuum. There is little research that explores how race and gender relate to feelings about personal control. To examine their effects on perceptions of personal control, we analyze data from the American Changing Lives Survey, 1986. Controlling for race and gender in the full model led to results that failed to reveal the complexity of relationships when compared with results of analyses among the subgroups. Some key factors distinct for the various groups were, for white men, functional health, positive support from friends and relatives, and having people to share their feelings with; for black men, age and visiting mental health facilities; for white women, visiting medical care facilities, the number of children, tobacco, and having someone to call for help; and, for black women, being involved with organizations (groups, clubs, and churches) and religion. When there are no significant racial or gender differences, examining models simultaneously stratified by race and gender introduced a more dynamic and multidimensional relationship between the control and dependent variables than was previously understood.

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