African American Families Research Articles

An Analysis of African-American Family Relationships Through Langston Hughes’s Poems

An Analysis of African-American Family Relationships Through Langston Hughes’s Poems

Parenting Practices and Adolescents' Eating Behaviors in African American Families.

Parents play an important role in developing the eating behaviors of their children by adopting specific parenting practices. As the prevalence of obesity is high amongst African American adolescents, investigations into associations of specific parenting practices and adolescents’ eating behaviors are essential. In this exploratory study, 14 African American parent–adolescent dyads were interviewed to characterize the influence of eight different parenting practices on the consumption of three main food categories (dairy, fruits and vegetables, and unhealthy snacks). The results revealed that authoritarian parenting practices were correlated with a higher BMI percentile in adolescents, whereas modeling and monitoring are correlated with a higher parent BMI. In addition, reasoning, monitoring, modeling, and authoritative parenting practices were associated with less unhealthy snack consumption among adolescents. Reasoning and monitoring were the only parenting practices associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption. Finally, a significant correlation was found between eating fruits and vegetables and unhealthy snacks and the location of eating. In conclusion, different parenting practices and environmental factors may impact BMI and food consumption of African American dyads. The results of this study can be used to guide improvement in, and/or development of, nutritional education interventions considering the cultural differences of racial minorities.

Using Advisory Boards to Develop a Faith-Based Toolbox to Support African American Families Facing Dementia

For this project, we are designing and testing the feasibility of employing components of a Faith-based Home Activity Toolbox (Faith-HAT). The goal of this NIH stage 1 intervention development project is to go beyond the four walls of the church to find ways to meet the spiritual needs of persons living with moderate and severe dementia “where they are” to help them remain religiously and spiritually engaged. This mixed-methods project is designed in 2 phases: (a) developing a prototype Faith-HAT and (b) testing the feasibility and exploring preliminary effectiveness. To successfully conduct this project, we have included a community advisory board of church leaders, caregivers, and persons living with dementia as members of the research design team to advise on the design and implementation of the Faith-HAT. Brainstorming workshops with the board are used to ensure the research is meeting the needs of the African American families affected by dementia.

The Preparedness for Caregiving Scale in African American and White Caregivers of Hospitalized Persons With Dementia

This study evaluated the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale (PCS) upon discharge from the hospital. The caregivers reported a mean age of 60.5 years (SD=13.9). The majority of caregivers were female (72%), married (59%), non-Hispanic/Latino (98%) and either white (52%) or African American (48%). Fifty percent were employed outside of the home and averaged 40.7 (SD= 14.4) hours of outside work per week. The average PCS was 24.4 (SD=6.9, 0-32). One-factor structure of the PCS and measurement invariance by race was fully supported. Predicative validity revealed significant association between the PCS and anxiety (β =-.41, t = -7.61(287), p <.001), depression (β =-.44, t =-8.39 (287), p <.001), and strain (β =-.48, t =-9.29(287), p <.001). The PCS is a valid and meaningful tool to measure preparedness in African American and white family caregivers of persons with dementia during post- hospitalization transition.

Pivoting during the pandemic: A case study of the Senior Companion Program Plus

Introduction: Growing research supports the use of older volunteers to provide respite and community-based assistance to persons with ADRD and their caregivers. This study explores the impact of COVID-19 on a face-to-face, peer-led psychoeducational intervention for African American ADRD family caregivers, the Senior Companion Program Plus (SCP-Plus), and its subsequent need to ‘pivot’ during the pandemic. Method: The SCP-Plus was a randomized control trial across three states that assessed program impact on ADRD family caregiver stress/burden, coping, and social support. In spring 2020, the SCP-Plus intervention was halted because of the potential risk to participants due to COVID-19 (n = 20 enrolled dyads). In an effort to maintain rapport and trust, critical to retention in research studies, team members began weekly (March-April) and then bi-weekly calls (May-December) for the purpose of providing a social check-in and to provide updates on the status of the intervention. Results: A total of 396 calls lasting approximately 10 minutes each were completed. Participants shared concerns around safety, access to food/supplies/masks/testing, feelings of stress and loss, concern for others, and the importance of technology as a means of social connection. Although the intervention aspect of the SCP-Plus ultimately ended due to COVID-19, information gleaned from these check-ins were used to pivot the study. The study moved forward by using a descriptive phenomenological approach to capture dyads’ lived experiences during COVID-19. Discussion: Overall, purposeful participant engagement through weekly/bi-weekly phone calls suggests that this is a promising strategy for participant retention as well as for pivoting research.

Technology Is out There for the Betterment of Us: African American Family Caregivers and COVID-19

Unpaid family caregivers are mostly responsible for bearing the costs associated with caring for older adults with dementia. Importantly, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created unforeseen challenges for many family caregivers. Specifically, the restrictions put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus may be exacerbating the challenges faced by these caregivers as they try to navigate the system. Further, studies have shown that family caregivers who are members of a racial or ethnic minority group such as African-Americans or Hispanics face unique challenges when caring for their loved ones. Additional challenges may include socioeconomic disadvantages, health disparities, and language barriers that make it more difficult to access healthcare and social services. In this study, we examined the perspectives of African-American family caregivers of older adults on the feasibility of utilizing technology as a coping strategy (including for research participation) during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The research question was: What are the perspectives of African-American family caregivers of people with dementia on the feasibility, opportunities, and challenges of technology as a means to engage family caregivers during a pandemic? In-depth one-on-one interviews were conducted with 12 African-American/black family caregivers. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data yielded the following three themes: (1) Acceptance that technology will play a greater role in the world going forward, and family caregivers need to adapt; (2) Opportunities to avoid social isolation while maintaining links with critical community resources; and (3) Challenges due to possible loss of privacy and lack of physical interactions

A Systematic Review of Self-Care Interventions for African American Family Caregivers

African Americans (AA) family caregivers provide the bulk of unpaid care to persons living with dementia (PLWD). This role leaves little time for the adoption of self-care behaviors—critical to the prevention and management of chronic diseases. In this systematic review, we appraise caregiver self-care interventions that include AA caregivers of PLWD. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Embase databases were searched. Terms included AA/Black, self-care, caregiving, lifestyle, intervention, psychological stress, and faith/community. We initially found 250 references and after application of exclusion criteria and removal of redundant references, 18 articles were analyzed. Most interventions focused on impacting levels of caregiver burden, depression, physical activity, anxiety, or wellbeing. Psychoeducation, physical activity, and spiritually-focused interventions were most effective in improving outcomes in caregivers. Future studies should examine the impact of interventions on the prevention and management of chronic disease in AA caregivers of PLWD.

Pain Among African American Family Caregivers: Association With Health Outcomes

There have been few investigations of the role that adolescent cognitive ability might play in predicting physical resilience across the life course, including decreased risk of early mortality. Our limited knowledge of how multiple cognitive ability domains shape trajectories of longevity is due, in part, to a lack of aging cohorts with early life cognitive assessments, and family data that allow for examination of shared family and genetic characteristics that may play a role in cognitive ability-health links. We capitalized on data from the 1960 Project Talent high school cohort (n>360,000, born 1942-1946) and mortality data (n=22,584; 5,497 deceased) collected as part of two recent follow-ups, the Project Talent Twin & Sibling Study and the Project Talent Aging Study, to examine these potential associations. In 1960, ability was assessed in multiple cognitive domains (e.g., general aptitude, quantitative, reasoning). Mortality status was ascertained through 2016. Binary logistic generalized estimating equations with race, age, sex, and adolescent family SES covariates, indicated that each 1 standard deviation higher ability in multiple cognitive domains in adolescence predicted lower odds of earlier mortality (ORs of 0.79 - 0.87). Co-sibling control models indicated a similar pattern, suggesting that benefits associated with higher cognitive performance do not simply reflect shared environmental and genetic background, but may represent a direct protective effect. These findings indicate that better performance in multiple cognitive domains in adolescence, above and beyond the influence of genetic and family environmental factors, may be or point to modifiable protective factors against risk of early mortality.

Burden and Heart Rate Variability in Bipolar Disorder Family Caregivers.

Family caregivers of persons with bipolar disorder experience considerable stress. Yet, studies have not examined whether their stress differs by race and gender. This preliminary analysis of baseline data from 228 African American and White family caregivers of adults with bipolar disorder who were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial examined race and gender differences on two validated self-report measures of psychological stress (caregiver burden and caregiver reactions) and an electrocardiography device used to capture heart rate variability (HRV). No statistically significant differences were found by race or gender on either measure of psychological stress. African American caregivers had significantly lower scores on two indices of HRV compared to White caregivers. Women had significantly lower scores on one index of HRV compared to men. Low HRV indicates greater stress and mortality risk. Future research should include HRV to measure caregiver stress and implement relevant interventions.

Black Ghosts of the Diasporic Memory in Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing

This article reads Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017) as a novel that follows an African American family facing the ghosts of their past and present to resurrect buried stories that are unrelentingly interlocked with the legacy of slavery and the draconian racist practices of Jim Crow. I posit that the novel participates in the re-examination of the trope of the ghost as a healing asset that needs to be accommodated within the retrieval of memory work. Thus, the enactment of this African diasporic memory facilitates the encounter with their ghosts so that the family can start their healing processes and be provided with the tools and examples of how to keep on coming to terms together with and against the legacy of slavery and the present racist practices.

A lay navigator-led, early palliative care intervention for African American and rural family caregivers of individuals with advanced cancer (Project Cornerstone): Results of a pilot randomized trial.

The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of ENABLE (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends) Cornerstone-a lay navigator-led, early palliative care telehealth intervention for African American/Black and/or rural-dwelling family caregivers of individuals with advanced cancer (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03464188). This was a pilot randomized trial (November 2019 to March 2021). Family caregivers of patients with newly diagnosed, stage III/IV, solid-tumor cancers were randomized to receive either an intervention or usual care. Intervention caregivers were paired with a specially trained lay navigator who delivered 6 weekly, 20-minute to 60-minute telehealth coaching sessions plus monthly follow-up for 24 weeks, reviewing skills in stress management, self-care, getting help, staying organized, and future planning. Feasibility was assessed according to the completion of sessions and questionnaires (predefined as a completion rate ≥80%). Acceptability was determined through intervention participants' ratings of their likelihood of recommending the intervention. Measures of caregiver distress and quality of life were collected at 8 and 24 weeks. Sixty-three family caregivers were randomized (usual care, n = 32; intervention, n = 31). Caregivers completed 65% of intervention sessions and 87% of questionnaires. Average ratings for recommending the program were 9.4, from 1 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely). Over 24 weeks, the mean ± SE Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score improved by 0.30 ± 1.44 points in the intervention group and worsened by 1.99 ± 1.39 points in the usual care group (difference, -2.29; Cohen d, -0.32). The mean between-group difference scores in caregiver quality of life was -1.56 (usual care - intervention; d, -0.07). Similar outcome results were observed for patient participants. The authors piloted ENABLE Cornerstone, an intervention for African American and rural-dwelling advanced cancer family caregivers. The acceptability of the intervention and data collection rates were high, and the preliminary efficacy for caregiver distress was promising. To date, very few programs have been developed to support under-resourced cancer family caregivers. To address this need, the authors successfully pilot tested an early palliative care program, called Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends (ENABLE) Cornerstone, for African American and rural family caregivers of individuals with advanced cancer. Cornerstone is led by specially trained lay people and involves a series of weekly phone sessions focused on coaching caregivers to manage stress and provide effective support to patients with cancer. The authors are now testing Cornerstone in a larger trial. If the program demonstrates benefit, it may yield a model of caregiver support that could be widely implemented.

A Landscape of Subjective and Objective Stress in African-American Dementia Family Caregivers.

Stress is a significant part of daily life, and systemic social inequities, such as racism and discrimination, are well-established contributors of chronic stress for African Americans. Added exposure to the stress of caregiving may exacerbate adverse health outcomes. This secondary analysis describes subjective and objective stress in African American family caregivers, and relationships of subjective and objective stress to health outcomes. Baseline data from 142 African American dementia family caregivers from the "Great Village" study were described using means and frequencies; regression models and Pearson's correlation were used to examine associations between demographics, social determinants of health, and health outcomes. Mixed models were used to examine change and change variation in cortisol. Most caregivers had moderate degrees of stress. Stress was associated with sleep disruption and depressive symptoms, and discrimination appeared to be an independent contributor to depressive symptoms. This work provides a foundation for interpreting subjective and objective indicators of stress to tailor existing multicomponent interventions.

Links between marital and parent–child relationship in African American families: A dyadic approach.

Grounded in a family systems perspective, we used a dyadic approach to examine longitudinal associations between parents' marital relationship qualities (marital conflict and marital satisfaction) and parent-child warmth and conflict in a sample of 180 African American families with adolescent-age children. We also tested whether these associations varied as a function of family economic strain, parents' depressive symptoms, and parent and youth gender. Results from longitudinal, Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) showed significant actor and partner effects for associations between marital satisfaction and parent-child relationships reflecting both spillover and compensation processes. With respect to compensation, on occasions when fathers experienced lower marital satisfaction than usual (i.e., compared to their own cross time average), youth reported more relationship warmth with mothers than usual. Spillover effects were moderated, such that, on occasions when parents experienced more marital satisfaction than usual, adolescents reported more warmth, but only on occasions when parents also experienced lower economic strain than usual. Neither parents' depressive symptoms nor youth gender moderated associations between marriage and parent-child relationships. Results highlight interconnections between marital and parent-child relationships within African American families, the importance of assessing experiences of multiple family members, and the role of family contextual factors for family systems processes in this sociocultural group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

One talk at a time: Developing an ethnic‐racial socialization intervention for Black, Latinx, and Asian American families

AbstractEthnic‐racial socialization (ERS) can promote positive outcomes in minoritized youth, but parents often face challenges in effectively engaging in these conversations. We describe the development of a video‐based online parent intervention program aimed at improving parental motivation, efficacy, and skills in having ERS conversations. The program focuses on balancing cultural socialization and preparation for bias messages and integrates themes of coping with future discrimination with the goal of promoting adjustment in youth. The video‐based program (One Talk at A Time: OTAAT) consists of 11 short videos designed to bolster parental efficacy and skills via motivational, didactic modules, and social modeling. We describe our intervention (specifically designed for Black, Latinx, and Asian American families), a sample of parents (N = 15) who interfaced with the intervention, and preliminary evidence of its impact via a pre‐post design and program evaluation interviews. Discussion centers on implications of our approach for future prevention efforts.

Holding both truths: Early dynamics of ethnic‐racial socialization and children's behavior adjustment in African American and Latinx families

AbstractEthnic‐racial socialization is at the core of ethnic minority families’ adaptive response to a racialized social climate. Protective links between ethnic‐racial socialization and children's adjustment are well documented in the adolescent years; however, very few studies have considered the ethnic‐racial socialization of young children altogether and fewer still have examined the links to adjustment using longitudinal designs. Leveraging unique, longitudinal data, the present study modeled African American and Latinx caregivers’ emergent use of multiple ethnic‐racial socialization strategies across the critical period when children first enter school, testing how their strategies dynamically interplay with children's early behavior adjustment. Results indicated an early pathway in which a child's behavior adjustment problems at 2.5 years may cascade to caregivers’ use of preparation for bias strategies at 3.5 years which in turn may modestly spillover in children's behavior adjustment in kindergarten. There was also modest evidence that cultural socialization strategies used in kindergarten may serve a protective function for future behavior adjustment. The potential to develop and extend interventions around both systemic issues and the direct needs of families is discussed.

Fighting to Preserve a Nation's Soul: America's Ecumenical War on Poverty

Fighting to Preserve a Nation's Soul: America's Ecumenical War on Poverty

Racism May Interrupt Age-related Brain Growth of African American Children in the United States

Background: Considerable research has documented age-related growth in brain size as a marker of normal brain development. This is particularly important because brain volume has a significant role in overall cognitive performance. However, less research is done on whether age-related changes in the global brain volume differ across diverse racial and ethnic groups. We hypothesized that age-related growth in brain size would be disrupted in African American children who are historically affected by racism. Purpose: Considering race as a proxy of racism rather than genetics, this study tested racial and ethnic differences in the effects of age on global brain volume using structural brain imaging data. Built on a sociological, rather than a biological theory, we built our study on Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs) framework, which argues that under racism, resources and assets are less effective for social groups that are historically racialized, discriminated against, marginalized, and segregated. Considering age as an asset/resource that increases the global brain volume, we expected weaker effects of age on overall brain size of African American and Hispanic children, than White and non-Hispanic children, again as a result of racism. Methods: We borrowed the structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI) data from the Children Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which included 9,311 9-10 year old children. The independent variable was the child’s age treated as a continuous measure (in months). The primary outcome was global brain volume. Sex, parental employment, parental education, household income, and parental marital status were the covariates. Race and ethnicity, as proxies of racism, were the moderators. To analyze the data, we used linear regression models. Results: Age was positively associated with the global brain size in children. In line with the MDRs, the positive association between age and global brain volume was weaker for African American than White children, while family structure, sex, and family socioeconomic status was controlled. Conclusions: Under racism, age has unequal effects on global brain size of diverse racial groups. In line with the MDRs, we observe diminished agerelated growth of the brain for African American children, which documents detrimental effects of racism. For White children who are not affected by racism, age makes a large difference regarding global brain volume. Age-related growth of global brain size is diminished in African American children, whose daily lives are shaped by racism. School and residential segregation may have a role in reducing the effect of age on children’s brain growth in African American families. The results should not be interpreted as inferiority of one group but social processes that hinder normal development of a historically oppressed group.

Predicting Receipt of an Effective Dose of a Family-Centered Preventive Intervention for African American Youth.

Research reveals a linear association between prevention program dose and outcomes; that is, families receive the most benefits when they attend a sufficient number of program sessions. Ensuring participants receive an effective dose of prevention is a persistent challenge for the widespread implementation of family-centered prevention programs. We investigated factors associated with an effective dose of the Strong African American Families (SAAF) substance use prevention program. Dose-related factors included socioeconomic disadvantage, caregiver depression, family disorganization, youth risk for problem behavior, and community risk. Notably, SAAF includes an ecologically appropriate curriculum and a comprehensive set of engagement procedures, which decrease the influence of these factors on attendance. The sample consisted of 252 African American youth and their caregivers from eight rural counties in South Georgia who had been randomly assigned to receive the SAAF substance use prevention program, a seven-session family skills training program. We operationalized an effective dose of SAAF, per recent research, as attendance in at least 5 of 7 sessions. Logistic structural equation modeling revealed no evidence of the tested factors reducing dose. Family disorganization, however, was associated positively with an effective dose, controlling for all other factors. Families with more disorganization were more likely to receive an effective dose of the program. Findings suggest that ecologically sensitive engagement protocols and curricula may obviate the influence of common risk factors and foster participation among those who most perceive a need for the program.

Affordances of a New Language: Abbas Khider’s Claim to Community inGerman for Everyone

Affordances of a New Language: Abbas Khider’s Claim to Community in<i>German for Everyone</i>

Where there’s a will, there’s a way: Closing the US multicultural wealth gap with purpose-driven organisations

This multidisciplinary paper examines the economic impact of closing the US multicultural wealth gap and proposes a potential solution to solve this problem. It contends that the persistent wealth gap in the country is not only a burden on African American and Hispanic families, but on the US economy more widely. The paper starts by reporting the demographic changes of the last decade and consumer expenditures by ethnicity and race. It then outlines the multicultural wealth gap and calculates the economic impact of Hispanics and African Americans achieving parity on key financial measures. Specifically, the findings suggest that parity in wealth across ethnicity and race could grow the US economy by more than US$8tn. The paper goes on to offer a conceptual, prescriptive model to help reduce the multicultural wealth gap, and proposes that purpose-driven organisations that use ‘purpose’ not just as a starting point but as a raison d’être are better positioned to grow their business in an increasingly diverse society. The paper closes with a discussion of the implications for organisations seeking to balance purpose with performance in the 21st century.