Akilah Dulin-Keita

This paper examines whether children of marginalized racial/ethnic groups have an awareness of race at earlier ages than youth from non-marginalized groups, documents their experiences with racial discrimination and utilizes a modified racism-related stress model to explore the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and self-esteem. Data were collected for non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white and Hispanic children aged 7–12 using face-to-face interviews (n=175). The concept of race was measured by assessing whether children could define race, if not a standard definition was provided. Racial discrimination was measured using the Williams Every-day-Discrimination Scale, self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Scale and ethnic identity was assessed using the Multi-group Ethnic Identity Measure. Non-Hispanic black children were able to define race more accurately, but overall Hispanic children encountered more racial discrimination, with frequent reports of ethnic slurs. Additionally, after accounting for ethnic identity, perceived racial discrimination remained a salient stressor that contributed to low self-esteem.

Background Characteristics associated with low socioeconomic status neighbourhoods may put children at risk for unique chronic stressors that affect cortisol levels. This research sought to explore whether neighbourhood stressor exposure affected serum cortisol levels among children. Methods A total of 148 African and European-American children with an average age of 8.28 years participated in a longitudinal study evaluating ethnic differences in body composition and disease risk. Five waves of data were included in analyses. Mixed modelling was used to explore neighbourhood stressors, which was a composite index of five items for zip code level poverty and physical disorder, and serum cortisol outcomes for the full sample, by race/ethnicity and gender. Adjustments were made for individual level correlates age, pubertal status, gender and total fat mass. Results Neighborhood disorder was predictive of lower serum cortisol levels among African-American children (pConclusion Children who are exposed to negative socioenvironmental climates over time are more likely to have altered serum cortisol levels. This may be an adaptive mechanism to cope with stress; however, disrupted cortisol levels may have negative effects on general physical and mental health.

Background:  The primary purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of bullying among a sample of African American adolescents and the risk factors associated with odds that a student engages in bullying behavior.Methods:  Using a self‐report school‐based survey, 1542 African American adolescents from a single school district (grades 5‐12) living in a midsized, Southern metropolitan region, were asked questions regarding bullying behavior and risk behaviors. A response rate of nearly 80% was obtained.Results:  Our results indicate that bullying behavior was higher among this group of African American adolescents than reported for other general student populations (8‐12%). In addition, age, family violence, negative peer relationships, and behavioral risks all contributed to increased odds of students reporting bullying behavior.Conclusions:  Our findings underscore the importance of intervention at an early age. Whether the intervention is in a formal or nonformal setting, specialists along with teachers, parents, and siblings need to begin a multipronged approach (data collection, training/education of school personnel, curriculum development, etc) to address the causes and consequences of bullying among adolescents.