African American and White Managers:

Research points to differences in the experiences and response of African Americans and whites to organizational situations. This paper presents the results of a study which investigated differences in the management styles in eight local social service agency offices managed by African Americans and eight managed by whites. When the environment was turbulent, white managers responded by becoming more supportive of staff, while African American managers increased problem-solving communications. Staff in African American offices in turbulent environments had higher levels of job satisfation than either white offices of African Americans in nonturbulent environments.     

A Literature Review of the Experiences of African American and Caucasian TANF Women Transitioning from Welfare to Work

This study examined African American women's perceptions of their adolescent children's well-being since gaining employment. This study departed from other studies that focused on the entire Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) population and/or compared subgroups within the population. In this study, the sample population is composed of all African American mothers and all of the mothers receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families benefits and have gained employment. The study explored the relationship between adult supervision of adolescent children that resided in distressed communities and adolescent overall well-being as measured by academic well-being, emotional well-being, and social well-being.     

Depression and Religiosity in African American and White Community-Dwelling Older Adults

SUMMARY

This research examined the extent to which religiosity was predictive of level of depression, even after controlling for race, gender, social support, income sufficiency, and physical health. Data were collected using in-home interviews conducted from 1999 to 2001 with 1,000 adults age 65 to 106. Subjects were recruited from a stratified, random sample of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older in five central Alabama counties (three rural and two urban). The sample was stratified by county, race, and sex and included balanced numbers of African American males and females and White males and females. Highly religious persons had lower levels of depression, even when controlling for other known covariates, β = -.16, t(972) p < .001. Females reported higher levels of depression, β = .07, t(972) p < .05. Although race was unrelated to depression in the model including gender and religiosity only, African Americans reported fewer symptoms of depression than did Whites when social support, income sufficiency, and physical health were added to the model, β= -.08, t(972) p < .01. Results suggest the importance of health and social service professionals' drawing upon older adults' positive spirituality in professional interventions to prevent and treat depression.     

Evolving African American/White socioeconomic inequality in the public sector: A review essay

A sufficient body of research across disciplines (Sociology, Political Science, Public Administration) now exists to address the evolving dynamics of public sector African American/White socio-economic inequality across the post-1965 civil rights era. This review synthesizes this research, bringing together an unprecedented amount of evidence to support two primary points: (1) Public sector inequality has been fluid, that is, it has been characterized by varying levels of African American disadvantage. Though African American disadvantage has progressively increased in the post-1990 period, for now it retains its occupational niche status, and (2) The underpinnings of this fluidity of African American/White inequality are to a considerable degree a product of historically specific responses to inequality dynamics in the private sector that I classify as either compensatory or emulative. I discuss the importance of focusing on inter-sectoral connections in understanding evolving racial inequality in the public sector and conclude by offering directions for future research.     

Relative Spousal Earnings and Marital Happiness Among African American and White Women

The distinctive economic histories of African American and White wives suggest that involvement in household income production holds contextually situated unique meanings for these groups. Yet research has not addressed racial differences in the effects of relative earnings on marital well‐being. Surveying 431 employed wives in 21 U.S. cities, we found that wife‐to‐husband income ratio and marital happiness were negatively associated when women held traditional values, but in racially distinct ways. Among White women only, a negative association between income ratio and marital happiness was reversed when financial need was reported. Findings are discussed in terms of variability in the meaning of wives’ earnings as a function of situational, historical, and sociocultural dynamics.     

Comparison of role perceptions of white and African American foster parents

The number of U.S. children entering foster care is increasing faster than the number of available foster parents. Of particular concern are the growing number of African American children in foster care and the lack of African American foster parents to care for them. This study compares role perceptions of African American and white foster parents and provides information on recruiting African American foster parents. These foster parents are more likely than their white counterparts to feel responsible for facilitating the relationship between foster children and birthparents. They are more likely to accept responsibility for the roles of agency partner and emotional developer of the child. Implications include the need for agencies to develop recruitment models that are sensitive to the qualities African American families can bring to the foster parent role.     

Tolerance of Elder Abuse and Attitudes Toward Third-Party Intervention Among African American,Korean American,and White Elderly

SUMMARY

Studies have found that professionals and the lay public differ consistently from one another in the ways in which they perceive elder abuse. A potential variable that may explain this observed difference is cultural norms among ethnic groups. Using 18 statements, this study examined similarities and differences among elderly from three ethnic groups in their tolerance for potential elder abuse, perceptions regarding perpetrators and the causes of elder abuse, and attitudes toward third-party intervention and reporting of elder abuse to the authorities. Results suggest that while African American and White elderly are remarkably similar in their responses to most statements, Korean American elderly differed significantly from the other two groups in their tolerance for medical mistreatment, financial exploitation and neglect, perceptions of causes, and attitudes toward reporting elder abuse. These findings have implications for understanding potential barriers to preventive outreach efforts, investigation, and intervention in cases of elder abuse in a culturally diverse community.     

Religiosity as a Moderator of Family Conflict and Depressive Symptoms among African American and White Young Grandmothers

ABSTRACT

This study examined the association between religiosity, conflict in the mother-daughter relationship, and depressive symptoms among 83 African American and white grandmothers. Interviews were conducted during the early stages of adaptation to grandparenthood due to the birth of a baby to a teenage daughter. The results of this study suggest that religiosity is associated with less depressive symptoms. In addition, religiosity moderates the relationship between conflict and depressive symptoms for African American grandmothers. Specifically, highly religious African American grandmothers experiencing low conflict with their daughters reported lower depressive symptoms than those who were less religious. These findings were not evident for white grandmothers. The implications of these findings for grandmothers in families with teenage mothers are discussed within the context of race, religiosity, family relationships, and psychological well-being.     

When the Methodological Shoe is on the Other Foot: African American Interviewer and White Interviewees

Some scholars engaging in the insider/outsider debate have argued that the pairing of researcher and subjects based on racial similarity—i.e., “race matching”—is the most effective means for conducting qualitative research. Although insider/outsider status has been discussed with respect to white researchers' studies of African Americans, I explore the heretofore rarely discussed situation in which an African American is the researcher and whites are the subjects. I argue that insider status with respect to race continues to be based on a presumed connectedness linked to phenotypical characteristics—like skin color or hair texture. Yet, rather than experiencing a solely insider or outsider status, researchers and subjects experience what I call “insider moments” wherein their interests converge and they are able to share in the kinds of interactions that yield important insights. I conclude by evaluating the utility of insider/outsider status in qualitative research.     

Changes in Perceived Parent Derogation in a Sample of African American and Non-Hispanic White Males Through the Middle School Years

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were racial differences in perception of parent derogation (i.e., feeling put down by one's parents) in a sample of 451 non-Hispanic White and African American males as they progressed through three years of middle school. Chi-square analyses were used to determine the proportion of participants reporting high levels of parent derogation. Independent t test analyses were utilized to determine mean parent derogation scores. Results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in mean parent derogation scores between the two races. Furthermore, the mean scores remained stable during the three years of the study. However, the proportion of African American participants reporting high parent derogation was almost double that of their non-Hispanic White peers during the sixth grade, but almost equal in eighth grade. Cultural factors experienced by the two racial groups are discussed as possible explanations for the differences in parent derogation scores over time.     

Hispanic and African American Youth

SUMMARY

This exploratory, qualitative study of 28 (10 Hispanic and 18 African American) former foster care youth attempts to capture the essence of their quest for self-sufficiency. While research on former foster care youth continues to highlight the problems confronting them after they emancipate from care, the depth of their struggles is often lost in the aggregation of statistics. The numbers themselves often fail to capture the hardships, isolation, hope, and despair many of them may face as they attempt to adjust to life after foster care. Furthermore, existing research often regards emancipated youth as a homogeneous population. Interviews with these respondents of color were coded to determine the themes and stories they held. The themes emergent from these interviews were: the importance of people in the independent living programs; vagueness in recalling the content of the independent living programs; family conflict; housing instability; regrets, fears, and lessons learned; and future goals. Implications for culturally sensitive practice and research are drawn from these data.     

Race and Loss of Privilege: African American/White Differences in the Determinants of Job Layoffs From Upper-Tier Occupations

Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics supports predictions from the minority vulnerability thesis concerning the determinants of job layoffs among African Americans and Whites who work in upper-middle-class occupations. Specifically, after controlling for seniority, layoffs for African Americans are relatively unstructured by traditional stratification-based causal factors, namely, background socioeconomic status, human-capital credentials, and job/labor market characteristics. Analyses also indicate that racial differences in the determinants of layoffs are more pronounced in nonservice-based than service-based firms in the private sector and in the private sector relative to the public sector.     

Paternal Hostility and Maternal Hostility in European American and African American Families

The authors examined the hypothesized influence of maternal and paternal hostility on youth delinquency over time. The investigation addressed significant gaps in earlier research on parental hostility, including the neglect of father effects, especially in African American families. Using prospective, longitudinal data from community samples of European American (n = 422) and African American (n = 272) 2‐parent families, the authors examined the independent effects of paternal and maternal hostility on youth delinquency. The results indicated that paternal hostility significantly predicted relative increases in youth delinquent behaviors above and beyond the effects of maternal hostility; conversely, maternal hostility did not predict youth delinquency after controlling for paternal hostility. Multiple‐group analyses yielded similar results for both ethnic groups and for boys and girls. These results underscore the importance of including both parents in research on diverse families. Neglecting fathers provides an incomplete account of parenting in relation to youth development.     

Parenting and Perceived Maternal Warmth in European American and African American Adolescents

Traditional conceptualizations of parenting style assume certain associations between parenting practices/philosophies and parental warmth. This study examines whether those links are similar for European American and African American adolescents. Two hundred and ninety‐eight early adolescents and their mothers reported on discipline and control practices, decision‐making practices, and parenting philosophy, which were used to predict adolescents’ reports of maternal warmth. The moderating role of ethnicity was examined after controlling for gender, age, and socioeconomic status. Although some practices predicted warmth similarly across groups, several practices predicted warmth in ways consistent with parenting style theory only or more strongly among European American adolescents. The findings suggest differences in the interpretation of or context surrounding discipline‐ and autonomy‐related practices in these groups.     

Differences in African American and White college students' drinking behaviors: consequences, harm reduction strategies, and health information sources

The authors explored the differences between African American and White college students' drinking behaviors and their attitudes toward consequences, harm-reduction strategies, and health information sources. They collected data from a randomly selected sample of 1,110 students in a large public university to examine the effects of a high-risk drinking prevention intervention. In the current analysis, they compared African American and White students on indicators of high-risk drinking, drinking consequences, harm-reduction strategies, the sources that students typically used for health information, and the believability of those sources. The African American students scored lower on drinking measures than the White students did, reported fewer negative consequences, and more regularly employed drinking-reduction strategies, with one exception--choosing a designated driver. Both African and White respondents reported that their parents were their most frequent and usual sources of health-related information and said that parents and health professionals were the most credible sources.     

Latino and African American Non-Custodial Fathers

Abstract

This study examines the perspectives of 30 Latino (n = 17) and African American (n = 13) low-income non-custodial fathers regarding their role as fathers and the child support system. Using an ethnographic approach, these non-custodial fathers (NCFs) were asked about their own childhood and background, their relationship with their own fathers, their relationship with their non-custodial child(ren), and their views of the child support system. The cultural portrait that emerges is one of a group of fathers who express a strong desire to be positive role models to their children and to play a significant role in their lives. Notwithstanding their negative feelings toward the child support enforcement system, they need to increase their knowledge regarding the process in order to clarify both their responsibilities and their rights. Implications for social work policy and research are included.     

African American Street Gangs: A Quest for Identity

Abstract

This paper examines the phenomenon of African American street gangs. It examines the scope of the gang problem, gives a historical review of gangs in America, and examines gang activity and membership for African American youth. Some of the causes for gang formation are delineated, and comprehensive programs for addressing the gang problem are proposed.     

Young African American Grandmothers: A Missed Developmental Stage

Abstract

In recent years the phenomenon of young black grand-motherhood is attracting the attention of social scientists in many disciplines. This problem stems from the fact that young unmarried teenage girls are giving birth and are thus making their young mothers grandmothers. The complexity of the problem mounts owing to the fact that many young grandmothers have not completed their own developmental tasks. This paper addresses some of the issues involved and provides strategies for social work intervention.     

African American Therapists Working With African American Families: An Exploration of the Strengths Perspective in Treatment

With the exception of Hill's (1971, 1999) work, historically much of the literature on African American families has focused more on pathology than strengths. This study used interviews with 30 African American psychotherapists, self-identified as employing a strengths perspective with African American families, to investigate which strengths they identified in the families and how they use those strengths in therapy. Themes emerging from data analysis confirmed the continued importance of the five strengths Hill noted. In addition, two new strengths were identified by the participants: a willingness of a greater number of families to seek therapy, and the importance of family structure. Strategies used in engaging the families in therapy and practice implications for family therapists are discussed.