Adolescent Close Relationship Quality, Racial Trauma, And Mental Health Outcomes
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January 2024
Angulique Y. Outlaw
Experiencing racial trauma is, unfortunately, fairly common for African Americans in the United States (Bleich, 2019; Seaton & Douglass, 2014). For African American adolescents, racial trauma can result in lasting mental and behavioral problems such as depression, suicidal ideation, and engaging in risky behaviors (Bernard et al., 2022; Jelsma et al., 2022; Madubata et al., 2022). Fortunately, there is evidence that positive relationships between adolescents and their peers and caregivers can protect youth against harmful events (Eisman, 2015; Yearwood et al., 2019). The current study examined the relationship between racial trauma, adolescent close relationship quality, and mental and behavioral health outcomes. Peer-adolescent relationship quality moderated the relationship between racial trauma and behavior problems. For youth with high levels of racial trauma, those who have better relationships with their peers reported few behavioral problems. While experiencing racial discrimination may be common for African American youth, fostering quality relationships with peers may be a path forward in protecting against the adverse outcomes of racial trauma.
Keller, Alana Jordan, "Adolescent Close Relationship Quality, Racial Trauma, And Mental Health Outcomes" (2024). Wayne State University Theses. 961.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/961
