African American College Students Research Articles

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Description of Graphic on the cover of the October issue of JEE 109(4)Professoriate Bound: Online Coaching for Black Engineering ScholarsAnn Varnedoe 1, Dara E. Naphan‐Kingery 2, Ebony O. McGee 1, and William H. Robinson 11 Explorations in Diversifying Engineering Faculty Initiative (EDEFI), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN2 Department of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, NMProfessoriate Bound is a gender‐identity and race‐conscious virtual coaching program that focuses on the necessity of diversifying the professoriate within the field of engineering and computer science. Through research backed measures (Robinson, McGee, Bentley, Houston & Botchway, 2016; McGee, White, Jenkins, Houston, Bentley, Smith & Robinson, 2016; Naphan‐Kingery, Ridgeway, Brockman, McKane, Botchway & McGee, 2019), two Black faculty members guide participants through an 11‐session coaching program. The faculty members are assigned to coach a group of two to three Black doctoral students from the disciplines of engineering or computer science; the program assists these students as they navigate the process of successfully completing their PhD and enter the professional world. Each coaching pair consists of one engineering faculty member and one social science faculty member. In addition to providing professional development, the overall goal of Professoriate Bound was to provide participants with a virtual counterspace—a “safe space” that is separate from mainstream educational spaces and occupied by other minoritized students (Ong, Smith & Ko, 2018; Solórzano, Ceja & Yosso, 2000), where they could have a sense of belonging and safety while sharing their narratives. Moreover, we wanted to provide participants with a better idea of what academic life is like as a Black engineer and more generally as a Black faculty member. Thus, we expected that these spaces would also foreground the centrality of race and racism as social structures by discussing pertinent social science knowledge, but that they would also serve as counterspaces in which the participants could prioritize and center their personal, experiential knowledge. As the spaces existed virtually, the students were able to participate in their individual doctoral programs while also having this online community where their identities and experiences could be affirmed.One participant explained: “I didn't realize how much that my identity plays into my growth and development as a graduate student. There are so many times that I switch between being a Black engineer or being an engineer who happens to be Black. This helped me see that it is normal to feel this way.” Currently, the landscape of Engineering and Computing for Black faculty lags far behind the representation of other racial groups. Over the past ten years, Black faculty in engineering departments have made up between 2% – 2.7% of the tenured faculty members (Roy, 2019). The goal of this program is to provide the tangible steps necessary for Black PhD students to successfully obtain tenure‐track positions through personalized coaching. In addition to providing students with this critical space for professional development, students are given a form of social support through their peers in the program.Professoriate Bound just completed both its second cohort and an extension of the program that was created to support members of the first cohort as they continued their professional journey. The successes of the program have been detailed through both the professional achievements of our participants and the qualitative data we have collected that speak to the importance of this counterspace.ACKNOWLEDGMENTThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. EEC‐1642895.REFERENCESMcGee, E. O., White, D. T., Jenkins, A. T., Houston, S., Bentley, L. C., Smith, W. J., & Robinson, W. H. (2016). Black engineering students’ motivation for PhD attainment: Passion plus purpose. Journal for Multicultural Education. 10(2): 167–193. DOI: 10.1108/JME-01-2016-0007Naphan‐Kingery, D., Ridgeway, M., Brockman, A., McKane, R., Botchway, P. & McGee, E. O. (2019). Investigation of a ‘equity ethic’ in engineering and computing doctoral students. Journal of Engineering Education. 108(3): 337‐354. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20284Ong, M., Smith, J.M. and Ko, L.T. (2018). Counterspaces for women of color in STEM higher education: Marginal and central spaces for persistence and success. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 55: 206‐245. doi:10.1002/tea.21417Robinson, W. H., McGee, E. O., Bentley, L. C., Houston, S. L., & Botchway, P. K. (2016). Addressing negative racial and gendered experiences that discourage academic careers in engineering. Computing in Science & Engineering., 18(2): 29–39. DOI: 10.1109/MCSE.2016.38Roy, J., (2019). Engineering by the numbers. Washington DC: American Society for Engineering Education. Retrieved from https://www.asee.org/documents/papers-and-publications/publications/college-profiles/2018-Engineering-by-Numbers-Engineering-Statistics-UPDATED-15-July-2019.pdfSolórzano, D., Ceja, M., & Yosso, T. (2000). Critical race theory, racial microaggressions, and campus racial climate: The experiences of African American college students. Journal of Negro Education, 69(1‐2), 60–73.

A longitudinal investigation of racial discrimination, distress intolerance, and psychological well-being in African American college students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal association between racial discrimination and psychological well-being (PWB), as well as the mediating role of distress intolerance. As part of a larger parent study, a sample of 105 African American first-year undergraduate students (mean age = 18.1) completed three surveys across 1 year. The RMediation program was used to test the indirect effect of racism on PWB through distress intolerance. There was a significant positive indirect effect of racism on PWB through distress intolerance, such that increased racism was associated with increased distress intolerance, which was thus associated with decreased PWB. Intervention efforts may be aimed at preventing racism for African American college students and providing clinical services that reduce distress intolerance.

Associations between lifestyle factors and body mass index in African-American community college students

Objective The goal was to examine associations between body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle factors in African American community college students. Methods: Young adults, 18–25, who identified as African American were eligible to participate from 3/17 to 11/17. BMI, body image, discrimination, social roles, emotional and informational support, nutrition knowledge, and physical activity were assessed. Results: Data from 323 students were analyzed. The mean age was 20.1 ± 2.0 years. There were no significant differences between individuals with BMI ≥ 25 and BMI < 25 on social role satisfaction, discrimination, and emotional or informational support. Overweight/obese individuals rated themselves higher on body image than normal weight individuals. The association between ideal body image and BMI sustained after adjusting for various factors. Conclusions: This is a unique population and they have unique needs in weight loss interventions. The strong relationship between body image and BMI suggests that incorporating body image into intervention design may assist in weight loss.

Bibliotherapy and Group Counseling with African-American College Students: A Case Study Approach

ABSTRACT Many African Americans students face numerous challenges on today’s college campuses. As such, non-traditional therapeutic interventions and group work have emerged in counseling literature to assist these students. This case study explored the use of bibliotherapy and group counseling as an innovative therapeutic intervention. The purpose of the study was to understand how African-American college students experienced this intervention and how it promoted a transformative experience. Students reported the intervention enhanced their intrapersonal intelligence through shared learning, introspective learning, and perspective-taking in relationships. Implications for group workers and college counselors were offered. Recommendations for future research were also discussed.

Perceived Discrimination and Risk Behaviors in African American Students: the Potential Moderating Roles of Emotion Regulation and Ethnic Socialization.

Prior research has identified perceived discrimination as being a contributing factor in health and mental health disparities. However, there is little research on the relationship between perceived discrimination and behaviors such as hazardous alcohol and illicit substance use and risky sexual behaviors that put people at risk for negative health consequences including HIV. The current research explores the role that cultural factors may play in a tendency for individuals to engage in unhealthy behaviors or an ability to avoid them. A total of 266 college students who self-identified as Black or African American were surveyed on measures of familial ethnic socialization, perceived discrimination, emotion regulation, substance use, and risky sexual behaviors. Findings indicate that perceived discrimination and emotion regulation-suppression were associated with higher levels of hazardous alcohol use, and that emotion regulation-cognitive reappraisal was associated with lower levels of illicit substance use. Implications for intervention and prevention in African American college students are discussed.

Examining Help-Seeking Intentions of African American College Students Diagnosed with Depression.

A depressed African American emerging adult's intention to seek help can be affected by the severity of their mental health or perception of self-flourishing, or positive mental health. Using the Healthy Minds Study, a nationally representative dataset, utilization of mental health services among African American emerging adult students who have been diagnosed with depression by a health professional (n = 201), and the mediating effect of positive mental health on help-seeking intentions were examined. The findings revealed that 89.45% of students reported help-seeking intentions, and they may have one or more than one way of seeking help from a professional clinician, roommate or friend, or significant. The findings show that there are specific groups of people that African Americans prefer to engage with when addressing their mental health. It is critical that we consider these groups when developing interventions or programs for their service access on college campuses and beyond.

Understanding African Americans’ Attitudes toward Nonhuman Animals: Historical and Psychological Perspectives

Abstract Historical and current literature is reviewed and social psychological theory is applied to support novel theories about African Americans’ attitudes toward nonhuman animals. Due to psychological reactions stemming from their brutal U.S. history, involving shared suffering with animals, African Americans are theorized to have either negative or positive beliefs about animals. Two studies revealed the latter: that African Americans have positive attitudes toward animals overall, as measured by a new, statistically reliable Attitudes toward Animals Scale. In Study 1, African American university students’ attitudes were somewhat less positive than White students’ attitudes, but in Study 2, older African American community members’ attitudes were more positive than Whites’. This cross-study difference, however, results from less positive White attitudes in Study 2, rather than from any important difference in African Americans’ attitudes across the two samples. The results and unique theoretical framework pave the way for future research on this important issue.

Success Central: Addressing the Persistence of African-American and Latinx College Students Using a Peer Success Coaching Intervention

African-American and Latinx enrollment in higher education has increased dramatically in recent years at many predominantly White institutions. However, the graduation rates of these students are substantially lower than the general student population at many of these institutions. This study introduces “Success Central,” an innovative peer coaching initiative offered at a mid-size, comprehensive regional institution. Instead of post-graduate professionals employed as success coaches, which is the typical practice, upper-class undergraduate students were selected and trained in an innovative life coaching intervention designed to address the root causes of student attrition as established in the literature examining the academic and non-academic factors that contribute to early departure. Students met regularly with assigned peer coaches who supported them to address their challenges and accomplishment of their desired goals. The results of this program exceeded the objective of equal persistence rates between the underrepresented students of color who had received peer-coaching and their majority counterparts. Additionally, students who experienced this intervention reported an improvement in their perception of their college experiences and academic skills.

Current HIV Testing & Risk Behaviors among Students at Historically Black Colleges & Universities in a Southern State

Background/PurposeHIV testing prevalence is low among young adults (YA) ages 18–24. Previous research supports routine testing among African-American college students. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are uniquely situated to support HIV education and prevention efforts. This study aimed to assess current HIV risk behaviors and current knowledge of PrEP among HBCU students. MethodsIn collaboration with a partnering organization, we conducted HIV testing events and HIV risk assessment at four HBCUs in a southern state. ResultsAmong participants (N = 615), most identified as African American (578, 94.8%), female (377, 61.3%) and 18–24 years old (540, 87.9%). Many (42.3%) had never been tested for HIV. Most reported they had been sexually active in the last year (533, 86.8%) with many reporting 2–5 partners (270, 43.9%). Among males (n = 236), 8.6% reported same sex partners. Many participants reported inconsistent condom use during vaginal sex (242, 46%). Most participants had not heard of PrEP (473, 86.2%). ConclusionConsidering most participants had one or multiple HIV related risk behaviors, and many had never been tested for HIV, HBCUs may be important venues to promote HIV risk reduction and regular HIV testing.

Supplemental Material for Day-to-Day Fluctuations in Experiences of Discrimination: Associations With Sleep and the Moderating Role of Internalized Racism Among African American College Students

Supplemental Material for Day-to-Day Fluctuations in Experiences of Discrimination: Associations With Sleep and the Moderating Role of Internalized Racism Among African American College Students

Against the Quotidian Trauma of “lived and un/imaginable lives”: The Economics of Egg Donation and Motherhood in “Harvest” by Danielle Evans

This study interprets Danielle Evans's short story “Harvest” (2010) using the frameworks of Black feminist theory and Afro-Pessimism. The protagonist, an African American college student, is first rejected as an egg donor, then becomes pregnant unexpectedly. In its wider socio–historical and literary context, the protagonist's sudden decision not to get an abortion is undergirded by the reproductive rights abuses endured by African American women for centuries.

Perceived partner beliefs about condoms and self-efficacy communication within the context of the theory of gender and power.

The theory of gender and power provides a unique framework for understanding condom use by accounting for distinct challenges faced by minority women in particular. This study examined whether self-efficacy about condom use communication (SECC) and perceived partner's beliefs about condom (PPBC) use had an influence on condom use frequency; and whether these associations varied by gender. A sample of 252 African-American college students (101 males and 151 females) completed a confidential online survey assessing SECC, PPBC, and condom use behavior. SECC and PPBC showed significant associations with condom use behavior. Furthermore, there was a gender interaction effect with PPBC on condom use behavior. As PPBC increases toward positive associations about condom use, condom use behavior increased significantly more for females (B = 0.42; p = .02) as compared to males (B = 0.26; p = .19). This study supports the need to teach young women effective communication skills in order for them to accurately assess what their partner thinks about condom-related behaviors; and ultimately not allow partner discouragement to influence their decisions to use condoms. Interventions aimed at reducing risky sexual behavior on predominantly Black college campuses, in particular, may benefit from directly addressing relationship power and focusing on building self-efficacy in communicating condom use.

Assessing Learning Styles of African American College Students With Disabilities: A Factor-Analytic Approach

The measurement structure of the Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was examined with a sample of African American college students with disabilities recruited from a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in a Southern state. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to evaluate and confirm the two-factor measurement structure of the R-SPQ-2F. The two learning style factors were labeled as (a) deep learning style and (b) surface learning style. The deep learning style factor was positively associated with goal persistence, whereas the surface learning style factor was not associated with goal persistence. These findings provide support for the construct validity of the R-SPQ-2F. The results indicate that the R-SPQ-2F is a psychometrically sound instrument that can be used to assess learning styles of African American college students with disabilities.

Racial Microaggression, Overt Discrimination, and Distress: (In)Direct Associations With Psychological Adjustment

Scholars in diverse disciplines have examined the associations between psychological adjustment and microaggression, and overt discrimination. It remains unclear whether the roles of microaggression in adjustment outcomes can be differentiated from the roles of overt discrimination and neuroticism. I examined the extent to which racial microaggression explained unique variances of negative affect, alcohol consumption, and drinking problems while controlling for overt discrimination and neuroticism among African American, Asian American, and Latinx American college students ( N = 713). Intervening roles of psychological distress linking microaggression and overt discrimination to adjustment outcomes were also tested. Among African Americans, microaggression and overt discrimination did not consistently predict psychological adjustment. Among Asian and Latinx Americans, microaggression and overt discrimination predicted negative affect via psychological distress. Microaggression also explained the variances of alcohol use outcomes among Asian Americans. Findings are discussed in the context of an acute racism reactions model and underscore the importance of considering overt discrimination and microaggression simultaneously as determinants of psychological adjustment.

The Role of Enculturation, Racial Identity, and Body Mass Index in the Prediction of Body Dissatisfaction in African American Women

The purpose of the current study was to examine the role of enculturation and racial identity in the prediction of body dissatisfaction and weight preoccupation in a sample of African American women. Participants consisted of 278 African American female college students enrolled in a large Midwestern university who completed a racial identity measure, an African American enculturation measure, and body dissatisfaction measures. Simultaneous regression results suggested that preencounter self-hatred attitudes were the only racial identity dimension to significantly predict body dissatisfaction. In addition, the level of enculturation significantly predicted body dissatisfaction, suggesting that African American women who were highly enculturated experienced greater body dissatisfaction. Subsequent mediational analyses found that body mass index fully mediated the relationship between enculturation and body dissatisfaction for African American women. Greater enculturation was associated with a higher body mass index, which in turn predicted greater overweight preoccupation. Study implications are discussed.

A Phenomenological Study of The Experience of Remote Learning on Enrolled African American College Students Research Proposal

A Phenomenological Study of The Experience of Remote Learning on Enrolled African American College Students Research Proposal

The negative stereotypes about mental health, and AfricanAmerican College students’ willingness to seek counseling

Mental health issues, such as excessive stress, anxiety and depression, are common among the college students. Students from minority populations disproportionally experience these issues, which impacts their overall functioning. It is well known that African Americans and others underutilise mental health service and are more likely to discontinue services even when they seek such services. Given this observation, the present study examines the attitude of African American college students towards seeking mental health services. Specifically, the study will highlight negative stereotypes attached to seeking mental health services, and how these impact the willingness of African American college students to seek mental health services. The study will explore ways to combat these negative stereotypes. Additionally, the study will also discuss the many barriers that come in to play with African Americans in seeking mental health opportunities. Keywords: Stereotypes, African Americans, mental Health, counseling, willingness

The Influence of Police Related Media, Victimization, and Satisfaction on African American College Students' Perceptions of Police.

This study explored the roles of police related television programming, and satisfaction with most recent police contact in predicting perceptions of law enforcement performance and treatment of minorities for students with no police victimization experiences. The current study also explored the role of personal and familial police victimization experiences impact on perceptions of police. A convenience sample of 246 African American students (168 females and 78 males) ranging in age from 17 to 59 (Mage = 21.73), attending a historically Black university completed a questionnaire assessing demographic information, satisfaction with most recent contact with police, personal, and familial police victimization experiences, and law enforcement related television programming. Results showed that African American students with personal and familial police victimization experiences had significantly different perceptions of law enforcement than individuals with no victimization experiences or just familial victimization experiences. Results also highlighted the predictive power of crime reality shows, police excessive force media consumption, and satisfaction with police in influencing perceptions of police. These significant relationships and causal models may be salient for understanding pertinent factors that influence perceptions of law enforcement in African American college students.

Nonreactivity and Resilience to Stress: Gauging the Mindfulness of African American College Students

Resilience is a protective factor against stress and research indicates that mindfulness is associated with increased resilience. Few mindfulness studies have specifically focused on African American college students, who are at heightened risk to the effects of stress due to race-related factors such as social, economic, and political exclusion relative to their Caucasian counterparts, who have received the bulk of mindfulness research attention. It is important to understand how mindfulness is related to resilience within this population and to examine if specific components of mindfulness are particularly predictive of increased resilience. In this study, African American undergraduate students attending a Historically Black University administered the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Mindfulness was found to be positively associated with resilience (r = .68). A multiple hierarchical regression indicated that the nonreactivity facet of mindfulness, the capacity to pause before responding to stimuli, explained the largest amount of unique variance (∆R2 = .11, p < .001) compared to acting with awareness (∆R2 = .07), nonjudging (∆R2 = .03), and describing (∆R2 = .02), as unique predictors. Results indicated that the capacity for nonreactivity may play a unique potentiating role in the relationship between mindfulness and resilience in African American college students, which could inform the development of college programming. The results indicate that it may be useful to create new mindfulness-based interventions specifically with the intention of building the skill of nonreactivity in order to cultivate resilience.

Unpacking the Theory of African American Offending: A Qualitative Exploration of Racial Socialization Processes and Their Effects on African American Male College Students

In 2011, Dr. James Unnever and Dr. Shaun Gabbidon introduced a Theory of African American Offending, which posits that African American offending is motivated in part by common experiences of racism. They argue that these experiences contribute to a shared worldview that includes both an accumulation of bad feelings toward pro-social institutions and legal cynicism toward the justice system, leading to decreased social bonds and a greater predilection toward delinquency. They also suggest that racial socialization can help to mitigate these effects of racism. Previous studies have found support for this idea, but few have examined the mechanisms by which racial socialization takes place. The current study uses qualitative interviews to explore the racial socialization process among a sample of Black male college students in a Midwestern public university. The findings reveal that racial socialization processes vary widely among male college students in terms of content (police contact, dating, safety), sources (parents, grandparents, peers, and other adult role models), timing, and the effect on social bonds to White-dominated institutions. Implications of the findings for the research on race, racial socialization, social problems, and criminological theory are presented and discussed.