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Stress Among African American Emerging Adults: The Role of Family and Cultural Factors

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of family and cultural variables on stress among African American emerging adults. Data from this study was collected as part of a larger study that examined cultural, family, and contextual factors and smoking among African American youth in 5th, 8th, and 12th grades. Data were collected from high school seniors at the end of their 12th grade year and 6 months post high school. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether racial identity, family cohesion, and parental monitoring influence students’ perceived frequency of stress. Higher levels of racial identity were associated with more perceived stress. There were no significant main effects for either parental monitoring or family cohesion on stress. There were significant interactions between racial identity and parental monitoring and between parental monitoring and family cohesion. Study implications are discussed regarding the importance of stress reduction programs for African American emerging adults and for parents of these adults.

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Acknowledgments

The parent project upon which this paper is based was funded by the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation (VTSF) in a grant to the last author (Grant #8520370). The authors would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Aashir Nasim, Co-PI of this grant, Deborah Butler, Project Director of this grant. Appreciation is also extended to all of the participants in our study who allowed us the opportunity to learn from them.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284-2018, USA

    Kristina Hood, Joshua Brevard & Faye Belgrave

  2. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Anh Bao Nguyen

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  1. Kristina Hood
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  2. Joshua Brevard
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  3. Anh Bao Nguyen
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  4. Faye Belgrave
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Correspondence to Kristina Hood.

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Hood, K., Brevard, J., Nguyen, A.B. et al. Stress Among African American Emerging Adults: The Role of Family and Cultural Factors. J Child Fam Stud 22, 76–84 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9639-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9639-4

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