Dimensions of Race-Related Stress and African American Life Satisfaction

Abstract

This study used a cultural stress and coping framework to investigate the influence of three dimensions of discrimination-based race-related stress (i.e., individual, institutional, and cultural) and collective efficacy on African American life satisfaction. African American adults ( N = 247) completed self-report measures of race-related stress, collective efficacy, and life satisfaction. Analyses indicated that all three forms of race-related stress were significantly associated with lower life satisfaction, and that collective efficacy was significantly associated with greater life satisfaction. Moderated analyses further revealed that collective efficacy significantly protected against the influence of race-related stress on life satisfaction for cultural race-related stress and, possibly, individual race-related stress. The results suggest that sociocultural resources such as collective efficacy may serve as protective factors against racial discrimination through enhanced social cohesion and community agency. Results are further considered in the context of stress and coping models that emphasize secondary coping processes and use of collective coping. Clinical and theoretical implications of collective efficacy as a sociocultural resource for the promotion of African American mental health are discussed.