The healing power of the village: race-related stress and coping among Black American adolescents in urban and racially homogenous communities

Abstract

ABSTRACTBeyond navigating normative developmental tasks, Black American adolescents cope with race-related experiences that are distinct to their racial-ethnic group. However, little is known about how Black American adolescents, particularly those in racially homogenous communities, experience and cope with race-related stress. Using qualitative measures, this study investigates how Black American adolescents in urban, racially homogenous environments experience race-related stress and the coping methods used to combat it. Qualitative data via individual interviews with 20 high school seniors revealed that these adolescents experience race-related stress in individual, institutional, and cultural contexts, which evoked intense negative emotions. Seeking support from family and friends and social referencing positive cultural artifacts were the most widely utilized coping strategies. Implications of the protective nature of racially homogenous environments and directions for future research are discussed.KEYWORDS: Race-related stresscoping with racismBlack adolescentsAfrican American adolescentsracially homogenous communityracial socialization Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).