Resilience and Coping: An Example in African American Adolescents

Abstract

The study addresses how African American adolescents are resilient when exposed to discrimination. We examine racial identity as a buffer between cumulative stressful events and aggression attitudes in 285 adolescents (M = 15.41, SD = 1.38). Boys report more general beliefs about aggression than girls. Girls with low racial identity are more vulnerable for general beliefs about aggression when exposed to greater negative youth experiences. However, boys with high racial identity have greater general beliefs about aggression as their negative youth experiences increase. Racial identity has a protective-enhancing buffering affect for adolescent girls and a protective-reactive effect for boys.