African American men experience impediments when entering the field of Information Technology (IT), which may portend the disappearance of this ethnic group from the technology-driven work force of the future. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the socioeconomic factors faced by African American men from their own viewpoints. With this goal in mind, three research questions were studied focusing on the availably of IT resources; the quality of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) based education; and existing hiring practices within the IT industry. The conceptual framework for this study was the critical theory perspective, which provided an understanding of real and perceived problems of African American men attempting to enter the field of IT. To facilitate the collection of data for this study, a Web questionnaire program was used. The data analysis process was a 3-phase coding method which included open, axial, and selective coding in order to identify emergent themes such as: racial discrimination, economic hardships, employment opportunity, interpretations from job seeking experiences, the effects of unfulfilled needs, and inadequate access to IT. The data analysis strategy used for this research was the homogeneous sampling method, which made it possible to choose a target population of African American men enrolled in the City Colleges of Chicago who have sought employment in the IT field. The findings from this study have implications for social change by illuminating the experiences of previously-underrepresented African American men in the IT industry.

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<p>Marijuana use has been shown to increase and peak during young adulthood (i.e., ages 18-35). However, it appears that Black individuals do not decline in use at rates similar to other race groups. Marijuana use among Black adults has been linked to more problems such as increased arrests, greater mental health disorder diagnoses, and substance dependence. The biopsychosocial model of racism and race-based theoretical framework aims to understand how factors such as racial discrimination as a traumatic event could be associated with marijuana behaviors, particularly among Black adults. The present study aims to examine the association between racial discrimination and marijuana use and problem use above and beyond trauma exposure. Further, I aimed to explore whether gender or vocation (college, community, and military) moderated the relationships. 391 Black adults (57.5% female; mean age 24.9) completed measures on marijuana use and problems, trauma exposure, and racial discrimination distress. Hierarchical linear regression and Hayes PROCESS macro were used to evaluate the study aims. Racial discrimination distress was associated with marijuana use above and beyond trauma exposure (DR2=.016, <em>p</em>=.004). However, racial discrimination distress did not add significant variance within the model for problem marijuana use (DR2=.001, <em>p</em>=.419). Additionally, moderation by gender and vocation were not supported in either model. Taken together, the present results support that examining psychological and health outcomes among Black young adults should include an evaluation of racial discrimination distress. Further, future studies should continue to evaluate sociodemographic factors in larger more representative community-based studies to better understand potential variation in risk among Black young adults.</p>

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Marijuana use has been shown to increase and peak during young adulthood (i.e., ages 18-35). However, it appears that Black individuals do not decline in use at rates similar to other race groups. Marijuana use among Black adults has been linked to more problems such as increased arrests, greater mental health disorder diagnoses, and substance dependence. The biopsychosocial model of racism and race-based theoretical framework aims to understand how factors such as racial discrimination as a traumatic event could be associated with marijuana behaviors, particularly among Black adults. The present study aims to examine the association between racial discrimination and marijuana use and problem use above and beyond trauma exposure. Further, I aimed to explore whether gender or vocation (college, community, and military) moderated the relationships. 391 Black adults (57.5% female; mean age 24.9) completed measures on marijuana use and problems, trauma exposure, and racial discrimination distress. Hierarchical linear regression and Hayes PROCESS macro were used to evaluate the study aims. Racial discrimination distress was associated with marijuana use above and beyond trauma exposure (R2=.016, p=.004). However, racial discrimination distress did not add significant variance within the model for problem marijuana use (R2=.001, p=.419). Additionally, moderation by gender and vocation were not supported in either model. Taken together, the present results support that examining psychological and health outcomes among Black young adults should include an evaluation of racial discrimination distress. Further, future studies should continue to evaluate sociodemographic factors in larger more representative community-based studies to better understand potential variation in risk among Black young adults.

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<p dir="ltr">Background: Racial discrimination has been consistently associated with risk for alcohol use outcomes among racial/ethnic minority groups. This is particularly concerning given that engagement in alcohol use during adolescence has significant downstream effects on an individual's health into adulthood. Understanding factors that influence the relationship between racial discrimination and alcohol outcomes are needed to better understand the risk pathway and to identify malleable targets for interventions to reduce alcohol use among racial/ethnic minority adolescents. One potential candidate is emotion regulation as there is evidence that exposure to discrimination is associated with emotion regulation difficulties, and that emotion regulation difficulties are associated with alcohol outcomes. It is also plausible that emotion regulation is an external factor that strengthens or weakens to direct association between racial discrimination and alcohol use. Thus, the current study examined difficulties in emotion regulation (as measured by the State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation, S-DERS) as a mediator and moderator separately on the relationship between racial discrimination related stress (RDRS) and alcohol outcomes (i.e., use, quantity, frequency, alcohol use disorder, binge drinking, high intensity alcohol use) and risk for problems associated with substance use. To better understand the nuances within the emotion regulation construct, this study also examined the four subscales of the S-DERS (e.g., difficulties in nonacceptance, modulation, lack of awareness, lack of clarity) in a parallel mediation and moderation model to account for each domain’s unique effect on the racial discrimination-alcohol pathway. Methods: 714 self-identifying racial/ethnic minority adolescents aged 10-19 years old (62.9% male, mean age 16.21 years old, 58.1% African American/Black, 19% American, 9.9% Hispanic/Latino, 9.7% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1.3% Middle Eastern/North African) completed an online questionnaire that included measures assessing experiences of racial discrimination related stress, state difficulties in emotion regulation, and alcohol outcomes. Results: Findings indicated a significant indirect effect of RDRS on alcohol outcomes through total state difficulties in emotion regulation (past year use b = 0.002, p <0.001; frequency b = 0.005, p <0.001; quantity b = 0.003, p <0.001; alcohol use disorder b = 0.056, p <0.001; binge drinking b = 0.004, p <0.001; high intensity alcohol use b = 0.003, p <0.001; risk for problems associated with substance use b = 0.007, p <0.001). When examining the subscales of emotion regulation, a significant indirect effect was found for difficulties in modulation within the relationship between RDRS and past year use, quantity, frequency, alcohol use disorder, binge drinking, and high-intensity alcohol use, but not for risk for problems associated with substance use. There were no significant indirect effects observed for the other subscales of emotion regulation. Additionally, when examining whether S-DERS or the S-DERS subscales moderated the relationship between RDRS and alcohol outcomes, no significant effects were found. Conclusion: These findings expand our understanding on potential mechanisms that underlie the racial discrimination-alcohol risk pathway among racial/ethnic minority adolescents, which may in turn help clarify the multifaceted nature of emotion regulation. As such, findings suggest that a unique effect was found for difficulties in modulation of emotions when accounting for the other domains of emotion regulation when examining the RDRS and alcohol outcomes relationship. Given that this study was cross-sectional, additional research utilizing a prospective study design can build off the current findings to confirm the proposed temporal pathway between RDRS, emotion regulation, and alcohol use outcomes. Moreover, findings suggest that difficulties in modulation and emotion regulation may be important constructs to include within treatments aimed at reducing alcohol use and prevention efforts among racial/ethnic minority adolescents experiencing racial discrimination related distress.</p>

Religion is important to most African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Church attendance is positively associated with aspects of subjective well-being. However, research concerning the influence of religiosity on African Americans' and Afro-Caribbeans' subjective well-being is scarce. Research into whether measures other than church attendance is positively linked to measures of subjective well-being is thin. In addition, investigations into which mechanisms shape religion's impact on subjective well-being for both groups are also lacking. Next, investigations into whether religiosity buffers the influence of stressors on subjective well-being is limited. To address these concerns this three-part study examined the relationship among race/ethnicity, dimensions of religiosity, psychological and social resources, stressors, and subjective well-being for African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. I used data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL; Jackson et al. 2004) to conduct my investigation. Collectively these studies address the following overarching research questions: Is religiosity (organizational religious involvement and non-organizational religious involvement) associated with better subjective well-being for both African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans? Does religious social support mediate the relationship between religiosity and subjective well-being? Does racial discrimination adversely impact subjective well-being for African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans? Does religiosity buffer the adverse impact of racial discrimination on subjective well-being for both groups? Does religiosity interact with financial stress to influence subjective well-being? Does self-esteem mediate any buffering effects of religiosity on this relationship? Results showed that organizational religious involvement was positively associated with African American and Afro-Caribbean's subjective well-being. Non-organizational religious involvement had no association with most measures (Only position on the life ladder). Organizational religious involvement benefited happiness, life satisfaction, and position on life ladder more for Afro-Caribbean immigrants than African Americans and U.S born Afro-Caribbeans. Religious social support partially mediated the relationships between organizational religious involvement and life satisfaction and position on the life ladder for African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Organizational religious involvement fully mediated the relationship between organizational religious involvement and self-rated mental health for both groups. Next, organizational religious involvement did not help protect subjective well-being against the negative effects of racial discrimination for African Americans. Organizational religious involvement alleviated the negative impact of racial discrimination on happiness more for Afro-Caribbean non-immigrants and the other two groups. In addition, organizational religious involvement buffered the negative effect of racial discrimination on being on a better position on the life ladder more for Afro-Caribbean immigrants than their counterparts. Finally, organizational religious involvement was associated with less adverse effects of financial stress on subjective well-being. Organizational religious involvement buffered the deleterious effect of financial stress on subjective well-being by protecting self-esteem. / Ph. D. / Religion is important to most African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. However, research regarding the influence of religious involvement on African Americans’ and Afro-Caribbeans’ subjective well-being (happiness, life satisfaction, self-rated mental health, position on the life ladder) is not common. In addition, research into which factors explain religious involvement’s impact on subjective well-being for both groups are also lacking. I used data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) to conduct my study into these areas. Results showed that being involved in church activities was positively related with subjective well-being for African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. However, the influence was greater for Afro-Caribbean immigrants than African Americans and U.S born Afro-Caribbeans. Social support from church members partially explained why being involved led to better life satisfaction and position on the life ladder for African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Social support from church members fully explained the relationship between organizational religious involvement and self-rated mental health for both groups. Next, being involved in church activities did not reduce the negative impact of racial discrimination on subjective well-being for African Americans. Organizational religious involvement eased the negative impact of racial discrimination on happiness less for Afro-Caribbean non-immigrants and the other two groups. In addition, being involved in church activities protected against the negative effect of racial discrimination on position on the life ladder more for Afro-Caribbean immigrants than their counterparts. Finally, being involved in church activities reduced the negative effects of financial stress on subjective well-being. Being involved in church activities protected people’s self-esteem and thus reduced negative effect of financial stress on their subjective well-being.