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Cultural Resources and Psychological Adjustment of African American Children: Effects of Spirituality and Racial Attribution

University of Michigan

Oscar A. Barbarin

University of Michigan

This study explored the relationship of a family’s sociocultural resources to adjustment in a sample of low-income African American children from Ohio and Southeastern Michigan. Children of parents attending church at least weekly had fewer problems compared to those whose parents attended less frequently. Furthermore, the use of racial attributions to explain negative life outcomes was related to more frequent behavior problems. These data confirm the importance of religion as a sociocultural resource in African American families, one that potentially contributes to resilience of children at risk for behavioral or emotional maladjustment as a function of growing up in poor families and communities. In contrast, the data point out the complexity in the effects of reliance on racial attributions to explain outcomes. Although many have argued that such attributions may be a protective factor, they did not protect against children’s behavior problems.

Journal of Black Psychology, Vol. 27, No. 1, 43-63 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/0095798401027001003


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