U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Perceived Support and Internalizing Symptoms in African American Adolescents: Self-Esteem and Ethnic Identity as Mediators

NCJ Number
217279
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 77-88
Author(s)
Noni K. Gaylord-Harden; Brian L. Ragsdale; Jelani Mandara; Maryse H. Richards; Anne C. Petersen
Date Published
January 2007
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the roles of social support, as well as possible mediators, self-esteem, and ethnic identity in reducing internalizing symptoms in African-American adolescents.
Abstract
Study results highlight the importance of considering mechanisms that may explain the relation of perceived support from family and peers to internalizing difficulties in African-American adolescents. The results imply that a combination of self-esteem and ethnic identity can account for some of the effects of perceived support, and that ethnic identity and self-esteem function as important links in how social support reduces internalizing symptoms in African-American youth. Specifically, for depression, ethnic identity accounted for more of the social support effect for males, whereas self-esteem had more impact for females. The mediation model for anxiety was supported in females with self-esteem more important than ethnic identity. Building on prior research demonstrating that perceived support from family and peers is predictive of fewer depression and anxiety symptoms, this study examined the extent to which self-esteem and ethnic identity mediate the relation of peer and family support to anxiety and depression. Participants in the study came from six public schools in Chicago and were part of a larger, longitudinal project focused on exposure to community violence. Tables, figures, and references