Department of Psychology, University of Houston.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine.
Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2017 Oct;23(4):561-569. doi: 10.1037/cdp0000167. Epub 2017 Jun 12.
The mental health outcomes associated with racial discrimination are well documented in scientific literature. Despite strong links to mental illness, hopelessness is largely overlooked as a consequence of discrimination in empirical research. The current study examined the association of race-related stress and hopelessness in a community sample of African American adults. Utilizing a risk-resilience framework, we examined multiple dimensions of social support as plausible protective factors against the negative effects of race-related stress.
Self-report measures of race-related stress (Index of Race Related Stress-Brief; Utsey & Ponterotto, 1996), hopelessness (Beck Hopelessness Scale; Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974), and social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List; Cohen & Hoberman, 1983) were completed by a sample of African American adults (N = 243; mean age = 35.89 years).
Multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the main and interactive effects of race-related stress and three dimensions of social support (appraisal, belonging, and self-esteem) in relation to hopelessness ratings. All dimensions of social support were associated with self-reported hopelessness, with the self-esteem dimension emerging as the strongest predictor. Though self-esteem social support buffered the role of race-related stress on self-reported hopelessness, appraisal and belonging support did not.
Individual and collective morale for one's racial group (via self-esteem social support) may be especially valuable for African Americans who face racial discrimination. Findings highlight the importance of culturally relevant factors that may ameliorate the effects of race-related stress. (PsycINFO Database Record
科学文献中充分记录了与种族歧视相关的心理健康结果。尽管与精神疾病有很强的联系，但在实证研究中，绝望作为歧视的后果在很大程度上被忽视了。本研究在非裔美国成年人的社区样本中检查了与种族相关的压力和绝望之间的关系。利用风险-恢复力框架，我们检查了社会支持的多个维度，作为对抗与种族相关的压力的负面影响的合理保护因素。
种族相关压力（种族相关压力指数-简短版；Utsey & Ponterotto，1996）、绝望（贝克绝望量表；Beck、Weissman、Lester 和 Trexler，1974）和社会支持（人际支持评估清单；Cohen 和 Hoberman，1983）的自我报告测量在非裔美国成年人样本中完成（N=243；平均年龄=35.89 岁）。
进行了多元回归分析，以评估种族相关压力与社会支持的三个维度（评价、归属感和自尊）与绝望评分之间的主要和交互作用。社会支持的所有维度都与自我报告的绝望有关，自尊维度是最强的预测因素。尽管自尊社会支持缓冲了种族相关压力对自我报告的绝望的作用，但评价和归属感支持并没有。
个人和集体对自己种族的士气（通过自尊社会支持）对于面临种族歧视的非裔美国人来说可能特别有价值。研究结果强调了文化相关因素的重要性，这些因素可能减轻与种族相关的压力的影响。
