Racial Socialization and Discrimination-Related Psychological Distress in Middle-Aged Black Men and Women.

Our objectives were to evaluate gender-specific associations of racial discrimination with psychological sequelae among middle-aged Blacks and to evaluate the capacity of racial socialization to moderate the association between discrimination and psychological distress, accounting for relevant prospectively assessed childhood factors. We used data from the Child Health and Development Disparities Study that followed a Northern California-based group of Blacks from the prenatal period through midlife (N = 244, 49.6% female). Multiple regression analyses were performed separately by gender to assess (a) the main effects of racial socialization and racial discrimination on adult psychological distress, (b) racial socialization as a moderator of the association between racial discrimination and adult psychological distress, and (c) whether controls for prospectively assessed childhood factors changed conclusions regarding the role of racial socialization. Seventy percent of the middle-aged Blacks in our sample reported having at least one type of major experience of racial discrimination. Increased reports of racial discrimination were positively associated with psychological distress in men, but not in women. Similarly, racial socialization was associated with decreased overall distress for men, but not for women. Discrimination-related distress was attenuated for men who reported higher levels of racial socialization. These findings remained after adjustment for childhood socioeconomic status (SES), childhood internalizing symptoms, parental marital separation, and number of siblings. Findings suggest that racial socialization conferred a protective psychological effect through midlife to Black men who experienced racial discrimination, a commonplace experience in this cohort. Public Policy Relevance Statement: Racial socialization refers to the messages children receive regarding race-related identity, interactions, and hierarchy. These findings suggest that the psychological benefits of racial socialization extend to midlife among Black men who have experienced racial discrimination. Consideration of the gendered resiliency conferred by racial socialization across the life span informs policy and practice from parenting programs to systems of care, education, and justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]