Examining the Role of Culture-Specific Coping as a Predictor of Resilient Outcomes in African Americans From High-Risk Urban Communities

Abstract

This investigation examined the role of culture-specific coping in relation to resilient outcomes in African Americans from high-risk urban communities. Participants (N = 385) were administered a survey questionnaire packet containing measures of culture-specific coping, traditional resilience factors (cognitive ability, social support, and familial factors), and resilient outcomes (physical, psychological, social, and environmental quality of life). Structural equation modeling was used to test the degree to which culture-specific coping would uniquely contribute to the prediction of quality of life above and beyond traditional predictive factors of resilience. Findings indicated that spiritual and collective coping were statistically significant predictors of quality of life outcomes above and beyond the traditional predictive factors. Overall, the findings indicated that both traditional and cultural factors were predictors of resilient outcomes (i.e., positive quality of life indicators) for African Americans.