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The relationship between neighborhood racial composition and African American parents’ racial socialization
Author(s) -
Varner Fatima A.,
Mandara Jelani,
Scott Lorraine E.,
Murray Carolyn B.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.22475
Subject(s) - socialization , african american , empowerment , psychology , racial composition , social psychology , developmental psychology , gender studies , sociology , race (biology) , political science , ethnology , law
This study assessed the degree to which the racial composition of one's neighborhood was related to the racial socialization messages parents communicated to their children in a sample of 307 African American families. Linear regression analyses were conducted. Neighborhoods were classified as predominantly African American, predominantly European American, or racially integrated. Even after controlling for parents’ education, mental health, and family income, parents in predominantly European American and racially integrated neighborhoods gave more preparation for bias messages than those in predominantly African American neighborhoods. Parents of boys conveyed more cultural empowerment messages in racially integrated and predominantly European American neighborhoods than in predominantly African American neighborhoods. Older girls were more likely to receive egalitarian messages than older boys. African American parents may use more empowerment and preparation for bias messages when they feel their children are culturally isolated or likely to experience racial discrimination.