Association of Poor Kin Relations,College Adjustment and Psychological Well-Being among African American Undergraduates

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to examine the association of poor kin relations with students’ psychological distress and college adjustment in a sample of 83 African American undergraduates. The second was to assess whether the relationship of poor kin relations with both psychological distress and college adjustment was mediated by perceived stress and self-esteem. Fifty-nine female and 24 male African American undergraduates were administered the study measures via online survey. Findings revealed that poor kin relations were positively associated with psychological distress and negatively related to college adjustment. Evidence of the meditational role of perceived stress and self-esteem was found. Poor relations with kin were linked to increased vulnerability to stress and decreased self-esteem, which in turn, was associated with increase in psychological distress and decrease in college adjustment. For counselors, administrators and faculty concerned with the adjustment and retention of ethnic minority undergraduates, understanding the role of extended family and other off-campus relations in students’ psychological well-being may be highly important.     

小学生学习坚持性和学习投入在效能感、内在价值与学业成就关系中的中介作用*

采用学习坚持性问卷、自我效能感问卷、内在价值问卷和学习投入量表,对407名四、五年级小学生施测,并收集学生期中考试成绩作为客观指标,建立结构方程模型以考察学习坚持性和学习投入在自我效能感、内在价值与学业成就关系中的中介作用。结果发现:(1)学习坚持性与自我效能感、内在价值、学习投入、学业成就均显著正相关;(2)学习坚持性可以部分中介自我效能感与学习投入、内在价值与学习投入之间的相关;(3)学习坚持性通过学习投入的中介作用影响学业成就。     

The Social Relations of Rural African American Early Adolescents and Proximal Impact of the School Engagement Project

This paper reports on the social relations of rural African American early adolescents and the initial impact of a multilevel universal intervention program aimed at enhancing the productive school engagement of at-risk youth. Students' school social relations were assessed with social cognitive mapping procedures that yield information on peer group membership and social network centrality (i.e., prominence in the social structure). Risk status was determined by cluster analysis of teacher ratings of students' adjustment on multiple dimensions including aggression, academic competence, and popularity. Four subgroups were identified: Model, Aggressive, Troubled, and Below Average. Differences among clusters were found in network centrality and patterns of peer affiliations. In addition, boys in the Below Average and Troubled configurations showed an increase in social prominence after the initial intervention phase.     

Parenting Practices and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Moderating Effects of Socially Demanding Kin Relations

Association of socially demanding kin relations, mother’s emotional support, behavioral control/monitoring, family organization and psychological control with adolescent’s internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed in 200 economically disadvantaged, African American mothers and adolescents. Demanding kin relations and mother’s psychological control were positively associated with adolescent’s internalizing problems. Demanding kin relations also moderated the association of control/monitoring, family organization, and psychological control, with internalizing. For mothers with more demanding kin relations, increased control/monitoring was associated with increased adolescent internalizing. In comparison, increased control/monitoring was associated with decreased adolescent internalizing for mothers with less demanding kin relations. Negative association of family organization with internalizing was more apparent for mothers with more compared to less demanding kin relations. Positive association of mother’s psychological control with internalizing was more apparent for mothers with more compared to less socially demanding kin relations. Demanding kin relations and mother’s psychological control were positively associated with adolescent’s externalizing problems. Mother’s emotional support and family organization were negatively associated with externalizing. Also, negative association of family organization with externalizing was more apparent for families with more compared to less demanding kin relations. The need for research on the factors associated with negative relation with kin was discussed.     

Measuring Coping in Low-Income European American,African American,and Mexican American Adolescents: An Examination of Measurement Equivalence

We examined the cross-ethnic and cross-language equivalence of the Children's Coping Strategies Checklist (Ayers, T.S., Sandler, I.N., West, S.G. and Roosa, M.W. (1996). A dispositional and situational assessment of children's coping: Testing alternative models of coping. Journal of Personality , 64 (4), 923-958) by assessing item, functional, and scalar equivalence in a sample of 319 European American, African American, and Mexican American adolescents from low-income inner-city families. Depression, as measured by Children's Depression Inventory, was the criterion in the analyses of scalar equivalence. The results suggest considerable cross-ethnic and cross-language measurement equivalence of the Children's Coping Strategies Checklist. The findings also suggest some caution in using the Children's Depression Inventory in comparative studies of African American and Mexican American adolescents or in studies that treat these groups as homogeneous samples.     

Biculturalism and Academic Achievement of African American High School Students

Biculturalism was examined as a factor that may positively affect the academic achievement of African American high school students, beyond cultural identity and self‐esteem. Hierarchical regression analyses determined that cultural identity and academic self‐esteem were important factors for academic achievement, but not biculturalism. Implications and future research are discussed. Se examinó el biculturalismo como un factor que puede afectar positivamente al rendimiento académico de los alumnos de educación secundaria Afroamericanos, más allá de la identidad cultural y la autoestima. Los análisis de regresión jerárquica determinaron que la identidad cultural y la autoestima académica fueron factores importantes para el rendimiento académico, pero no el biculturalismo. Se discutieron implicaciones e investigaciones futuras.     

Parental Characteristics,Ecological Factors,and the Academic Achievement of African American Males

Parental characteristics, ecological factors, and the academic achievement of African American male high school students were examined. One hundred fifty‐three 11th and 12th grade African American males completed the Parenting Style Index ( Steinberg, Lamborn, Darling, Mounts, & Dornbusch, 1994 ) and a demographic questionnaire. Results indicated no significant relationship between parenting styles and enrollment in honors courses. However, the results indicated that fathers’ education level and two‐parent family structures are positive predictors of grade point average (GPA), and fathers’ expectations is a negative predictor of GPA. Implications for counselor practice and research are delineated.     

成就目标定向与小学生数学学习投入的关系:学业拖延和数学焦虑的中介作用

采用问卷法对708名小学高年级学生进行调查,以考察成就目标定向、学业拖延、数学焦虑与数学学习投入之间的关系,结果显示：（1）掌握定向和表现-接近定向均能直接正向预测数学学习投入,而表现-回避定向的直接预测作用不显著;（2）掌握定向、表现-接近定向和表现-回避定向均能通过学业拖延来间接预测数学学习投入;（3）掌握定向和表现-回避定向均能通过数学焦虑来间接预测数学学习投入,但表现-接近定向不能通过数学焦虑来间接预测数学学习投入;（4）三种成就目标定向均能通过学业拖延经数学焦虑的多重中介作用来预测数学学习投入。这表明成就目标定向不仅能直接预测,还能通过学业拖延和数学焦虑的多重中介作用,来间接预测小学生数学学习投入。     

Perfectionism and Depression Among Low-Income Chronically Ill African American and White Adolescents and Their Maternal Parent

Most research on perfectionism is based on convenience samples of university students or clinically distressed samples, and therefore relatively less is known about the development and implications of perfectionism for other groups. In this study, we examined perfectionism and depression in low-income African American (n = 39) and White (n = 55) adolescents with chronic illnesses (most with diabetes, asthma, and/or hypertension) and their primary parents. We specifically examined the association between parent and child perfectionism, and the link between perfectionism and depression in both groups. The African American adolescents reported significantly more maladaptive perfectionism than did the White adolescents, and the African American parents reported significantly higher scores on depression than did the White parents. Correlations and regression analyses revealed similarities and differences in perfectionism-depression associations that might be explained in light of cultural differences and the unique physical and emotional challenges faced by youth with chronic illnesses. The word “parent” in this study is used to represent a parent or other adult who was identified as a primary caregiver for the adolescent.     

Community Disadvantage and Academic Achievement among Hispanic Adolescents: The Role of Familism

Hispanic adolescents experience disproportionately higher dropout rates at the secondary level, and their efforts tend to be further compounded by economic adversity. In considering how to meet the challenges facing this bolstering population, prior research suggests that parental investment, or familism, may increase their academic success. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to examine the association between community disadvantage, measured at the community level, and Hispanic adolescents' academic achievement, in addition to identifying the underlying mechanisms and interactive effects of familism on this association. Based on theories and previous literature, the following hypotheses were tested: (1) that community-level community disadvantage will negatively impact Hispanic adolescents' academic achievement, (2) that familism will mediate the association between community disadvantage and Hispanic adolescents' academic achievement and (3) that familism will also moderate the association between community disadvantage and Hispanic adolescents' academic achievement. Results supported the proposed hypotheses and shed light on the importance of considering the unique needs of Hispanic adolescents in the classroom. Implications and future directions are discussed.     

Home Environment and Self‐Efficacy Beliefs among Native American,African American,and Latino Adolescents

Context helps determine what individuals experience in the settings they inhabit. Context also helps determine the likelihood that those experiences will promote adaptive development. Theory suggests likely interplay between various aspects of home context and development of ideas about self that influence patterns of development for children. This study addressed relations between two aspects of home life (companionship and investment, modeling and encouragement) and three types of self‐efficacy beliefs (enlisting social resources, independent learning, self‐regulatory behavior) considered important for long‐term adaptive functioning. The study focused on three groups of minority adolescents (Native American, African American, Latino). Relations were examined using regression models that also included four aspects of household risk that often hinder the development of self‐efficacy. Although findings varied somewhat across the three groups, significant relations emerged between the two domains of home life examined and self‐efficacy beliefs in all three groups, even controlling for overall household risk. Companionship and investment appeared particularly relevant for African American adolescents, while modeling and encouragement appeared particularly relevant for Native American adolescents. Both were relevant for Latino adolescents.     

Academic Achievement of African American Preadolescents: The Influence of Teacher Perceptions

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors associated with the academic success of predominantly, middle-class African American preadolescent students. This study proposed an ecological model that considered the interaction of family environment, teacher perceptions of social skills, and student characteristics. The estimated model explained 58% of the variance in grade point average. Path analysis revealed three direct effects on grade point average, (a) grade level (negative), (b) teacher perceptions of social skills, and (c) academic ability. Findings revealed that teacher perceptions of social skills was a stronger predictor of grade point average than academic ability. Two indirect effects on grade point average were found. The first indirect effect was negative: gender predicted academic ability, which predicted teacher perceptions of social skills, which predicted grade point average. The second indirect effect was positive and it was from ability to teacher perceptions to grade point average. Implications for policy and practice are made that suggest a collaborative model of school counseling designed to promote the social and academic competence of African American students. Interventions that enhance teacher practices are also suggested.     

Relationship Between Religiosity and Conduct Problems Among African American and Caucasian Adolescents

This study investigated the relationship between religiosity and conduct problems in a racially diverse sample of high school aged adolescents (ages 13–19) who attended public schools in a large metropolitan area. The results of the study found racial and gender differences in religiosity: African American adolescents were more likely to attend church, describe themselves as very religious and use Collaborative and Deferring religious coping styles; they were less likely to use Self-Directing religious coping styles when compared to Caucasian adolescents. Females were more likely to be involved in church activities, use a Collaborative religious coping style and tended to be less likely to use a Self-Directing religious coping style when compared to males. The results of multiple regression analyses, after controlling for race, gender, and self-reported religiousness found that Self-Directing and Deferring religious coping styles were risk factors for conduct problems; there was no relationship between Collaborative religious coping and conduct problems. The findings from the study provide additional support for the importance of considering religiosity, race and gender when examining mental health outcomes in adolescents and have implications for the development of mental health interventions for adolescents.     

Neighborhood Violence and Psychosocial Adjustment in Low-Income Urban African American Children: Physical Symptoms as a Marker of Child Adjustment

We examined the association between neighborhood violence and three domains of psychosocial adjustment in low-income, urban African American children: internalizing, externalizing, and physical symptoms. Based on anecdotal and empirical evidence, it was hypothesized that, relative to internalizing and externalizing problems, a stronger association would emerge between physical symptoms and neighborhood violence. Mother-reported neighborhood violence was associated with child-reported physical symptoms, but not internalizing or externalizing symptoms. Child-reported neighborhood violence was associated with child-reported internalizing, externalizing, and physical symptoms; however, neighborhood violence accounted for a greater percentage of variance in physical symptoms than the other two symptom domains. Our findings were not moderated by the age or gender of the child. We discuss the importance of physical symptoms as a marker of child adjustment in low-income, urban, African American children, as well directions for future research.     

Mother-Adolescent Relationship Quality and Autonomy as Predictors of Psychosocial Adjustment Among African American Adolescents

This study investigated the role of mother-adolescent relationship quality and autonomy in the psychosocial outcomes in a sample of African American adolescents drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The results indicated that positive mother-adolescent relationship quality and greater autonomy were associated with higher self-esteem, fewer depressive symptoms, and less delinquent behavior. Moreover, adolescents who were older, female, or from households with less income reported more depressive symptoms. In addition, adolescents who were younger or female reported fewer delinquent behaviors. Being male was associated with higher self-esteem. Adolescents’ age, family income, and mother-adolescent relationship quality did not moderate relations between autonomy and the outcome variables.     

Suicide Ideation and Attempts among Low‐Income African American Adolescents

We examined the impact of risk and protective factors on the odds that African American adolescents seriously think about or attempt suicide. Data from students in grades 5–12 in a mostly urban, southeastern U.S. school district were analyzed. Findings support earlier work documenting differences in gender and grades. Risk factors were uniformly significant in understanding both ideation and attempts. Protective factors were not consistent predictors; the lowering role of religious protective factors was limited, though student's belonging to or their perception of belonging to a spiritual community was a significant factor in lowering the odds of suicide ideation.