2019/05/23 by Velma McBride Murry · 27 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development #Clinical psychology #Cognitive reframing #Developmental psychology #Extended family #Family Support in Illness #Political science #Pride #Psychology #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research #Social psychology #Sociology #Stressor
paper · doi:10.1111/fare.12363
published in Family Relations 68(3), 342-357 (Wiley)
crossref issued 2019/05/23 · crossref published 2019/05/23 · crossref published-online 2019/05/23 · openalex publication_date 2019/05/23 · crossref created 2019/05/23 · crossref published-print 2019/07/01 · crossref deposited 2023/09/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/05 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Objective To identify pathways through which African American families successfully negotiate and navigate stressful life events to facilitate positive family functioning, relationships, and healthy developmental outcomes in their children. Background Despite the advancement of African Americans since passing of the 1965 Civil Rights Act, racism remains a major stressor that affects everyday life experiences of 21st‐century African American families. Little is known about the cascading effects of race‐related exposure on processes in African American families, nor about what promotes healthy functioning among African American families. Method Three waves of data on 867 families participating in the Family and Community Health Study were analyzed to identify pathways that forecast family functioning and developmental outcomes of youth as they transitioned from middle childhood to late adolescence. Results Stressful life events heightened maternal depression and anxiety, which were associated with a more cynical and hostile worldview and poorer quality of family relations. Parenting practices and family relationship quality were linked with children's self‐pride, which was closely associated with more optimistic worldview. Self‐pride was also associated with future aspirations among youth, and future‐oriented youth tended to engage in fewer self‐harm behaviors as they transitioned from middle childhood to early adolescence. Conclusion Reframing one's life situation, despite exposure to racial discrimination, serves a protective function for African American families. Exerting a sense of agency, internal will, capacity, and strength are effective strategies to transcend adversities. Implications That positive worldview can render more manageable family outcomes for African Americans, regardless of socioeconomic status, is worth considering in research, clinical practice, and preventive interventions.