2019/12/03 by Veronica E. Johnson, Robert T. Carter · 1 voice · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research #Health disparities and outcomes #Resilience and Mental Health
paper · pdf · doi:10.1177/0095798419889752
openalex publication_date 2019/12/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/17
Based on historical literature, Black Americans have persisted through centuries of oppression in North America. To survive, they retained Africultural values and adopted group-specific practices. Black cultural values and practices can potentially, if bolstered, increase psychosocial health in this population. In the current study, we examined specific Black values and practices and their collective ability to predict psychosocial health. In a sample 486 Black, middle-class, American adults with a mean age of 31 years, we used structural equation modeling to test a first- and a second-order measurement model, as well as a structural model. We hypothesized that health-promoting aspects of Black racial identity (e.g., racial centrality), racial socialization (e.g., cultural socialization), and racism-related coping (e.g., confrontation), as well as higher levels of communalism and spirituality would indicate one latent factor, Black Cultural Strength. Furthermore, we hypothesized that Black Cultural Strength would be predictive of psychosocial health. After slight model modifications, we found an acceptable fit for the data. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.