Objective

Emerging research and theory suggests that the internalization of racist ideas and attitudes, internalized racism, poses a significant threat to Black American adolescents’ and experience of externalizing symptomology. Prospective, empirical research linking internalized racism to externalizing symptoms among Black American adolescents and the mechanisms explaining this link is scarce. We hypothesize that internalized racism will forecast externalizing symptoms indirectly, via effects on poor self-regulation and depressive symptoms. We also examine potential sex differences in the pathways linking internalized racism to externalizing symptoms.

Method

A random sample of 445 Black American adolescents and their primary caregivers were recruited from eight counties in rural Georgia. Participants provided survey data annually when adolescents were age 13, 14, 15, and 16. Direct, indirect, and multigroup hypotheses were tested with Structural Equation Modeling.

Results

Internalized racism assessed at ages 13 and 14 forecast increased externalizing at age 16 directly, and indirectly, via increases in poor self-regulation and depressive symptoms. Sex moderated the indirect pathways linking internalized racism and externalizing. Poor self-regulation significantly mediated the path between internalized racism and externalizing symptoms among Black American male youth. Depressive symptoms significantly mediated the pathway between internalized racism and externalizing symptoms among Black American female adolescents.

Conclusion

Findings suggest behavioral treatment directions for male and female Black American adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms.

中文翻译：

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美国黑人青少年男孩和女孩中，不同的机制将内在的种族主义与外在的症状联系起来

客观的

新兴的研究和理论表明，种族主义思想和态度的内化，即内化的种族主义，对美国黑人青少年的外化症状学和体验构成了重大威胁。将美国黑人青少年内在种族主义与外在症状联系起来的前瞻性实证研究以及解释这种联系的机制很少。我们假设内在的种族主义将通过对不良自我调节和抑郁症状的影响来间接预测外在症状。我们还研究了将内在种族主义与外在症状联系起来的途径中潜在的性别差异。

方法

从佐治亚州农村的八个县随机招募了 445 名美国黑人青少年及其主要照顾者。参与者每年在青少年 13、14、15 和 16 岁时提供调查数据。使用结构方程模型测试直接、间接和多组假设。

结果

在 13 岁和 14 岁时评估的内在种族主义预测，在 16 岁时，外在种族主义会直接或间接地通过较差的自我调节和抑郁症状的增加而增加。性别调节了连接内在种族主义和外化种族主义的间接途径。在美国黑人男性青年中，自我调节能力差显着介导了内在种族主义和外在症状之间的关系。抑郁症状显着介导了美国黑人女性青少年内在种族主义和外在症状之间的通路。

结论

研究结果为出现抑郁症状的美国黑人青少年男性和女性提供了行为治疗方向。