Multidimensional Inventory Of Black Identity Research Articles

Black identity and internal health attributions of second generation black immigrant women

ABSTRACT Objective Despite second generation Black immigrants being a rapidly growing population, they are often overlooked in health attribution research that treats Black populations as a monolithic group. Very few studies focus on how discrimination, societal pressure, and racial identity play a role in the health attributions of Black immigrant women. Even fewer studies have examined this relationship solely with second generation Black immigrant women. Research has shown, however, that increased racial and ethnic identity but decreased experiences with racism are related to higher internal health attributions in Black populations. Thus, we addressed this dearth in research in the current study by examining the relationship between racial centrality, racism stress, and internal health attributions in a sample of 123 second generation Black immigrant women. Design Health attributions were assessed using the Illness Attribution Scale, racism stress using the Schedule of Racist Events, and racial centrality using the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses that lower levels of racism stress, but higher ratings of racial centrality would relate to higher scores of internal health attributions. Results A positive relationship was found between racial centrality and internal health attributions but not racism stress. Conclusion The results indicated that stronger affirmations with Black identity are associated with a greater importance of the causes of illness to be within one’s perceived control for second generation Black immigrant women, which highlights the importance of examining wthin-group differences via collective identity measures to better explain health attribution behavioirs.

214 Relationships between Childhood Trauma Exposure, Mental Health, and Black-Identity in Black Pregnant Persons

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Racial identity, one’s perception of that identity, and their perception of how others view their racial identity influences mental health. We aimed to assess the relationship between childhood trauma exposure, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and postpartum depression symptoms with individual Black identity in adulthood. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We examined whether racial identity, as measured by the regard subsection of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI), was impacted by childhood trauma exposure and related to PTSD and depressive symptoms in a sample of pregnant persons (N= 215, Mage=27.5, SDage=5.3) who identified within the Black diaspora, seeking prenatal care at Grady Hospital in Atlanta, GA. The regard subsection of the MIBI determines extent to which individuals feel positively about membership within the Black group (private regard) and the extent to which they think others feel positively about the Black group (public regard). We assessed childhood trauma using Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and depression and PTSD symptoms with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, respectively. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Public regard (pubR) and private regard (privR) were significantly negatively correlated with childhood emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and overall childhood trauma exposure (all p’s.05). PrivR was significantly negatively correlated with both postpartum depression and PTSD symptoms (p DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Ethnic-racial identity formation is a critical aspect of our psychological well-being, beginning in childhood and continuing across one’s lifespan. Our findings suggest that childhood trauma impacts racial identity in persons of the Black diaspora, which may contribute to negative mental health outcomes, including PTSD and depression.

Ethnic identity in Arab Americans: gender, religious upbringing, and age differences

ABSTRACT Arab Americans constitute a diverse, sizeable ethnic minority in the United States. However, limited research has examined the content of Arab American ethnic identity and whether this ethnic identity differs by demographic factors. In the present study, we developed measures of Arab American ethnic identity and cultural practice, and assessed differences in those variables by gender, religious affiliation (Muslim, Christian), and age. Arab American adults recruited online from Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 391) completed an adaptation of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity and a measure of cultural practice that was created for this study based on pre-existing scales. Items loaded onto dimensions of identity (ethnic centrality, private regard, public regard), and subscales showed invariance across gender and religious upbringing. When examining group differences in ethnic identity, we found that attitudes regarding being Arab American varied by gender, such that Arab American women reported higher private regard and lower public regard than men. In turn, participants raised in Muslim households reported higher ethnic centrality and cultural practice than those raised in Christian households, potentially related to Muslims’ status as a religious minority in the United Status. Finally, young adults were lower in centrality and private regard than older adults, suggesting either that ethnic identity may develop into adulthood or that young adults’ ethnic identity may be influenced by growing up in American society post-9/11. Taken together, findings illustrate the heterogeneity in the ethnic identity of Arab Americans. Further research is needed to understand individual differences in Arab Americans’ ethnic identity.

Superwoman Schema, Racial Identity, and Cellular Aging Among African American Women.

Background and ObjectivesAfrican American women experience faster telomere shortening (i.e., cellular aging) compared with other racial–gender groups. Prior research demonstrates that race and gender interact to influence culturally specific norms for responding to socially-relevant stress and other stress-coping processes, which may affect healthy aging.Research Design and MethodsData are from African American Women’s Heart & Health Study participants who consented to DNA extraction (n = 140). Superwoman Schema (SWS) was measured using 5 validated subscales: presenting strength, emotion suppression, resisting vulnerability, motivation to succeed, and obligation to help others. Racial identity was measured using 3 subscales from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity: racial centrality, private regard, and public regard. Relative telomere length (rTL) was measured using DNA extracted from blood samples. Path analysis tested associations and interactions between SWS and racial identity dimensions with rTL.ResultsFor SWS, higher resistance to being vulnerable predicted longer telomeres. For racial identity, high private regard predicted longer telomeres while high public regard predicted shorter telomeres. Interactions were found between public regard and 2 SWS dimensions: among women with high public regard, emotion suppression (β = 0.20, p < .05) and motivation to succeed (β = 0.18, p < .05) were associated with longer rTL. The interaction between high centrality and emotion suppression predicted shorter rTL (β = −0.17, p < .05).Discussion and ImplicationsCulturally specific responses to gendered racism and racial identity, developed early in life and shaped over the life course, are important psychosocial determinants of cellular aging among African American women.

Racial Regard and Physical Health Among Low-Income Black Caregivers of Children With and Without Asthma

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between child health, parent racial regard, and parent physical health in 87 African American and Black parents/caregivers of children with and without asthma from a low-income, under-resourced urban area. Participants completed the Private and Public Regard subscales of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) and 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Parents of children with asthma reported having poorer physical health, while those with higher public and private racial regard reported better physical health. The association between public regard and physical health was surpassed by an interaction of child asthma status and public regard: as public regard decreased, so did physical health, but only for parents raising a child with asthma. Findings suggest that the stresses associated with raising a child with chronic illness and perceiving lower public racial regard may together confer additional risk for poor physical health in African American and Black parents.

Attachment, Pride, and Respect: Exploration of a Multidimensional Tool to Measure Appalachian Identity

Abstract Most scholars have refuted the notion that a region as diverse as Appalachia can have one unifying identity. Despite the challenges to measuring Appalachian identity, we maintain that this work is critical to understanding the influence that identity has on both the individual and the community. This study uses data from a 2016 study of women in Central, South Central, and Southern Appalachia. In this research, we examine the modification of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) for use among Appalachian populations as a more complete measure of identity, finding that the overall seventeen-item Appalachian identity scale is highly reliable with a Cronbach’s alpha of .879. All three subscales—centrality, public regard, and private regard—had highly reliable Cronbach’s alpha scores. Much like the original MIBI, this modified scale appears to be a reliable measure of Appalachian identity. In addition, the subscales allow nuance in analysis that is not available by utilizing only one variable. We put this work forward in hopes that other researchers will be able to integrate it into their research and open new avenues of understanding with regard to the impact that identifying as an Appalachian may have on one’s health, wellness, and quality of life.

Between and within race differences in patient-centeredness and activation in mental health care

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to compare Black and White mental health care patients’ perceptions of their providers’ and their own participation in patient-centered mental health care. Perceptions of patient-centered care (PCC) in relation to the Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity were explored. MethodsBlack and White veterans receiving mental health care (n = 82) completed surveys assessing patient activation, involvement in care, perceptions of PCC, and therapeutic alliance. Black participants (n = 40) also completed the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity. ResultsThere were no differences by race in perceived PCC, though Black participants had lower levels of therapeutic alliance with their mental health care provider and were less activated. Black identity centrality, private regard, and public regard were positively related to PCC and elements of PCC such as patient information seeking/sharing. ConclusionsIntragroup identity variables such as racial centrality, regard, and ideology influenced perceived PCC among Black participants. Race identity variables should be explored in future research on racial disparities and PCC. Practice implicationsMental health care providers serving Black patients should create opportunities to discuss racial identity and race-related experiences as part of their efforts to improve therapeutic alliance and increase the patient-centeredness of care.

Cultural socialization attitudes and behaviors: Examining mothers' centrality, discrimination experiences, and children's effortful control as moderators.

The current study examined whether mothers' cultural socialization attitudes predicted cultural socialization behaviors. In addition, we tested whether this association was moderated by children's effortful control, mothers' ethnic-racial centrality, and mothers' experiences of ethnic discrimination. Mexican-origin young mothers (N = 181; Mage = 20.97 years) completed the Cultural Socialization Attitudes Measure, a revised version of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, the Child Behavior Questionnaire-Very Short Form, and the Perceived Discrimination Scale during an interview and then completed the Cultural Socialization Behaviors Measure a year later. Findings indicated that mothers' cultural socialization attitudes when their children were 4 years of age positively predicted their cultural socialization behaviors 1 year later. Furthermore, experiencing higher ethnic discrimination strengthened the association between mothers' cultural socialization attitudes and behaviors. In addition, mothers' ethnic-racial centrality and children's effortful control were positively associated with mothers' cultural socialization behaviors. These findings contribute to the literature by underscoring the role of individual characteristics and context in cultural socialization efforts with young children over time. (PsycINFO Database Record

'I'm Black and I'm Proud': A Majority Ecological Context Protects Affective Aspects of Black Identity Under Stereotype Threat.

We provide evidence that stereotype threat, a phenomenon that causes stigmatized individuals to experience group-based evaluative concerns (Steele in Am Psychol 52:613-629, 1997; Whistling Vivaldi and other clues to how stereotypes affect us, W.W. Norton, New York, 2010), impacts affective aspects of Black identity as a function of majority versus minority ecological contexts. Black/African-American students, enrolled in either Africana Studies (Black ecological majority) or Psychology (Black ecological minority), completed private and public regard subscales from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (Sellers et al. in Pers Soc Psychol Rev 2:18-39, 1998) at baseline (Time 1) and after being randomly assigned to a stereotype threat or no-threat/control condition (Time 2). In threat, participants were introduced to a 'puzzle' task as diagnostic of intellectual abilities, whereas in no-threat the same task was introduced as culture fair, such that people from different racial/ethnic groups had performed similarly on this task in the past. In Psychology, students under threat exhibited a simultaneous decrease and increase in private and public regard, respectively, a pattern shown in the literature to be associated with discrimination-based distress and lesser well-being in Black ecological minority environments. In contrast, Africana Studies students' racial identity under threat remained intact. We discuss the protective effects of Africana Studies on racial identity and implications for educational reform.

RESULTS OF A MINDFULNESS INTERVENTION FEASIBILITY STUDY AMONG ELDER AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN

This study used mixed methods to examine the feasibility of implementing a 4-week mindfulness class with 10 elder African American women (aged 50 – 69). We measured changes in PSS, PANAS, LSI, Perseverative Cognition Scale, and the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity before and after the intervention. We also used these measures as a means to assess the salience of these scales to this population. Focus groups provided information on motivation, effective strategies, preferences, and perceived benefits of the mindfulness class. There was a significant change in numbers of participants who reported a meditation practice (1 person at time 1; 8 people at time 2, chi2(1) = 5.84, p < .05). There were marginally significant improvements in PSS, t(18) = 1.99, p = .06, and PANAS positive affect, t(18) = -1.99, p = .06. Stressors that motivated participation in the mindfulness class included family obligations and daily race-based microagressions. Effective strategies to address stressors salient to our participants included taking time for self-care, quiet prayer, removing oneself from stressful people, remembering one’s core self in the face of discrimination (i.e., centering), and having a positive mindset. Preferences included integration of faith-based language, using a facility recognized as a community center for the classes (e.g., church), and African American class instructors. Participants noted perceived benefits such as mindfulness as calming and centering, better body and pain awareness, an increased sense that one can better tune out chaos, and that the mindfulness group can provide a forum for race and diversity.

Predictors of Academic Self-Concept for African American College Students

This study explored the roles of demographic variables, grade point average, centrality (an aspect of racial identity), and student-professor interactions in predicting academic self-concept. A convenience sample of 132 African American students (104 females and 28 males) ranging in age from 18 to 38 ( Mage = 26), attending a historically Black university completed an online questionnaire assessing demographic information, grade point average, an aspect of racial identity from the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, student-professor interactions, and academic self-concept. Results showed that grade point average and student-professor interactions characterized by faculty’s level of care were significant factors in predicting academic self-concept. These relationships may be important for understanding salient factors that influence the academic self-concept in African American college students.

Black Fifth Graders Make Dioramas of Traditional African Cultures to Explore Racial Identity, Cultural Universals, and Spatial Thinking

This rich, arts- and spatial-thinking-integrated project examined the effects of making three-dimensional dioramas of traditional African cultures on Black fifth graders at an urban school on students’ racial identities, knowledge of cultural universals, and spatial thinking skills. Pretest and posttest attitudes measured with the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity–Teen evidenced an increase in sense of belonging to other Black people. Students learned social studies content and recognized many cultural universals, allowing them to feel connected to the African groups. Student essays showed admiration for African cultures, connections through similar foods, and links through appreciation of animals.

Intragroup Heterogeneity and Blackness: Effects of Racial Classification, Immigrant Origins, Social Class, and Social Context on the Racial Identity of Elite College Students

While the black population of the USA has grown more diverse with regard to ethnicity and class status, most research on racial identity relies on dichotomous proxies of racial group identification created during the civil rights era. Using a subset of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity included in the National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen, a representative sample of black students at twenty-eight selective American colleges and universities, we test how black student racial identity is related to students’ ethnic, nativity, socioeconomic, and contextual experiences in childhood. Our more nuanced measure of black racial identity shows that being Black/African American is central to the new generation of black elites’ self-identity and that, contrary to prior evidence and theorization that blacks are either assimilationist or nationalist, that black students express strong support for both assimilationist and nationalist ideological beliefs at the same time. In addition, students express strong tendencies toward group membership as well as individualism; race has less of an impact on how they feel about themselves and their social relationships. Further analyses reveal substantial variation in black identity between monoracial and mixed-race blacks, and between immigrant (both first and second generation) and native blacks, but few social class differences. Notably, childhood experiences of racial segregation and social disorganization are also strongly associated with black identity and racial ideologies.

Racial Identity and Mental Well-Being: The Experience of African American Medical Students, A Report from the Medical Student CHANGE Study.

Diversification of the physician workforce continues to be a national priority; however, a paucity of knowledge about the medical school experience for African American medical students limits our ability to achieve this goal. Previous studies document that African American medical students are at greater risk for depression and anxiety. This study moves beyond these findings to explore the role of racial identity (the extent to which a person normatively defines her/himself with regard to race) and its relationship to well-being for African American medical students in their first year of training. This study used baseline data from the Medical Student Cognitive Habits and Growth Evaluation (CHANGE) Study; a large national longitudinal cohort study of 4732 medical students at 49 medical schools in the US racial identity for African American students (n = 301) was assessed using the centrality sub-scale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity. Generalized linear regression models with a Poisson regression family distribution were used to estimate the relative risks of depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. First year African American medical students who had lower levels of racial identity were less likely to experience depressive and anxiety symptoms in their first year of medical school. After controlling for other important social predictors of poor mental health (gender and SES), this finding remained significant. Results increase knowledge about the role of race as a core part of an individual's self-concept. These findings provide new insight into the relationship between racial identity and psychological distress, particularly with respect to a group of high-achieving young adults.

What’s Color Got To Do With It? Skin Color, Skin Color Satisfaction, Racial Identity, and Internalized Racism Among African American College Students

Although skins tone perceptions influence the African American community, less is known about how skin color satisfaction differs across complexion. Employing an intersectionality framework, the current study assessed (a) the relationships between gender, self-reported skin color, skin color satisfaction, and the private regard aspect of racial identity; (b) whether skin color satisfaction moderates the relationship between perceived skin color and racial identity; and (c) whether internalized racism relates to skin color satisfaction. African American college students ( N= 191) provided their perceived skin color and completed the private regard subscale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, the Nadanolitization Scale, and an abbreviated version of the Skin Color Satisfaction Scale. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to test most hypotheses. Although skin color was not significantly associated with skin color satisfaction, skin color satisfaction moderated the relationship between perceived skin color and private regard. Darker skin African Americans high in skin color satisfaction reported higher private regard than those low in skin color satisfaction. Additionally, internalized racism significantly predicted skin color satisfaction. Psychosociological implications are discussed.

Centrality and Circumstance: Influences of Multidimensional Racial Identity on African American Student Organization Involvement

In order to explore the social realities and centrality of race for African American students at a predominantly white institution, this inquiry applied case study methodology to the multidimensional model of racial identity (MMRI). Rather than following quantitative methodology which operationalizes racial identity through surveys, the study utilized in-depth interviews to capture students' racial realities. Directly utilizing survey items from the multidimensional inventory of black identity (MIBI) in the interview protocol, this methodology allowed participants to be reflective of the influence of the institutional environment. Findings revealed insight regarding how African American students exhibit their understandings of race through involvement in student organizations. Challenges to overcoming stereotypes and barriers to black group connectivity gave evidence to the need for a heterogeneous approach to the involvement and identity development of African American students.

Racial identity and reasons for living in African American female suicide attempters.

The current study investigated the association between racial identity and reasons for living in African American women who have attempted suicide. Particular attention was paid to the relation between two elements of racial identity (private regard, racial centrality) and reasons for living, an alternative assessment of suicidal risk. While private regard refers to an individual's beliefs about the African American race, racial centrality describes the importance an individual places on his or her racial identity. The sample included 82 low-income African American women, ages 18-64, who reported a suicide attempt in the past 12 months. Participants, recruited from a large, urban public hospital located in the Southeast, completed the Reasons for Living Inventory and the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, which included the private regard and racial centrality subscales. Results indicated that, as predicted, higher private regard was associated with more reasons for living. Contrary to expectations, racial centrality was not correlated with reasons for living nor was there an interaction between private regard and racial centrality indicating that racial centrality did not function as a moderator in predicting participants' reasons for living scores. Implications for culturally competent clinical interventions that target bolstering private regard are discussed.

Three Ethnic and Racial Identity Measures: Concurrent and Divergent Validity for Diverse Adolescents

Racial and ethnic identity research encompasses ethnic identity (Phinney, 1992), collective self-esteem (Luhtanen & Crocker, 1992), and racial identity (Sellers, Chavous, & Cooke, 1998). Distinguishing racial and ethnic identity constructs is difficult due to the complexity of racial and ethnic identity and conceptual differences between several psychometrically sound instruments (Ponterotto & Park-Taylor, 2007). This study investigated simultaneously the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, the Collective Self-Esteem Scale–Race, and the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity in a sample of 160 diverse adolescents, comparing across measures to identify similar and dissimilar theoretical and item content. Reliability scores were adequate. Expectations for convergent validity were met. Significant moderate correlations were found for group membership and saliency of identity subscales (r = .31 to .46). Theoretically similar public or private regard subscales evidenced convergent validity at moderate to high levels (r = .73 and .91). No significant correlations emerged between private identity and public identity subscales. Identity researchers are encouraged to explore the nuanced theoretical bases on which measures were developed and the tremendous potential for application to specific research questions for specific groups within specific cultural contexts.

A Psychometric Examination of Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) Scores

The factor structure of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) was assessed in a sample of 272 African American college students using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. The fit indices from the confirmatory analyses did not support the seven-factor first-order model or two alternative higher-order models suggested by the developers, but yielded numerous recommendations for modifications. A post hoc exploratory factor analysis indicated that MIBI items were best represented by a five-factor structure.

Black German Identities: Validating the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity

This study examines the reliability and validity of a German version of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) in a sample of 170 Black Germans. The internal consistencies of all subscales are at least moderate. The factorial structure of the MIBI, as assessed by principal component analysis, corresponds to a high degree to the supposed underlying dimensional structure. Construct validity was examined by analyzing (a) the intercorrelations of the MIBI subscales and (b) the correlations of the subscales with external variables. Predictive validity was assessed by analyzing the correlations of three MIBI subscales with the level of intra-racial contact. All but one prediction concerning the correlations of the subscales could be confirmed, suggesting high validity. No statistically significant negative association was observed between the Black nationalist and assimilationist ideology subscales. This result is discussed as a consequence of the specific social context Black Germans live in and is not considered to lower the MIBI’s validity. Observed differences in mean scores to earlier studies of African American racial identity are also discussed.