An Exploratory Investigation of the Relationship between Racism, Racial Identity, Perceptions of Health, and Health Locus of Control among Black American Women

Abstract

This exploratory investigation examined the relationship between racial identity and perceived racism as predictor variables and perceptions of health status and health locus of control as criterion variables in a sample of 90 Black American women. Results of a canonical correlational analysis indicated a shared variance of 37% between these two sets of variables. This finding highlights the need to focus on perceived racism and racial identity attitudes as potentially important factors for consideration when seeking to understand health disparities in the United States.