Purpose of Review: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Black youth ages 10–19 years. Between 1991 and 2017, rates of suicide among Black youth have been increasing faster than rates among any other race/ethnic group. There are many factors that may explain this increase, with gambling being suggested as one such potential risk factor. This review examines the association between gambling and suicide behaviors, and how these associations may vary between Black and White youth and young adults. The current review examines these associations using data from the Missouri Family Study (MOFAM). Recent Findings: Recent findings have revealed distinct patterns of substance use initiation and gambling behaviors between Black youth and White youth. While strong links between gambling and suicide behaviors have also been reported, whether the associations were consistent across race/ethnicity groups was not investigated, nor in these cross-sectional analyses was it possible to determine whether the gambling behaviors preceded or followed suicidality. Thus, there is a need to investigate whether there are differences in the associations of gambling and suicide behaviors at the race/ethnicity level in tandem with data that examine the sequence of the behaviors. The current report focuses on racial/ethnic differences using data that allow for sequencing the occurrence of the behaviors via the age of first gambling experience, and of first suicidal symptom, to better distinguish the nature of the association. Summary: The current findings revealed that gambling initiation predicted suicide ideation among Black youth, while no significant association was found among White youth. This is of major public health concern, given the rising rates of suicide among Black youth, and the increased availability of gambling. The report did not find a link between gambling and suicide attempts. Culturally tailored interventions should be considered among schools, families, and clinicians/providers, to highlight the risk of adolescent gambling, particularly among Black youth.

abstract: Collective self-esteem is defined as the aspect of identity that relates to how one evaluates the value or worth of the social group to which they belong (Luttanen and Croker, 1992). For African American youth, little research has been conducted to understand how they assess the value or worth they place on their ethnic social grouping as opposed to their racial identity (Hecht, Jackson, & Ribeau, 2003). Moreover, African American scholars for decades have theorized about the importance of applying African centered frameworks to ground community solutions for these youth. Drawing from both the African centered and collective self-esteem literature, the purpose of the present study is to develop a measure of collective self-esteem derived from an African framework to examine its relationship with African American youths’ ethnic identity perceptions. The first phase of the study consisted of a content analysis to generate a pool of items derived from Bantu philosophical text. The second phase consisted of cognitive interviewing to understand the mental processing of African American youth answering the developed items. In the final phase, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify the factor structure of the tested items. A single factor was identified, which was strongly correlated with African American youth perceptions of ethnic belonging further supporting that self-perceptions amongst African American youth is associated with how they positively or negatively perceive their ethnic identity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Social Work 2019

Race has been considered to serve as a barrier to leisure for most Blacks. Such claims have been based on a few studies many of which are theoretically faulty. This dissertation research attempts to address the current shortcomings of the literature by exploring the relationships between racial socialization, racial identity, saliency, and the free-time choices of Black youth. Using a web-based survey, the relationship between the racial socialization behaviors of parents and development of racial ideologies is described. Findings provide support for the idea that specific race-related behaviors and messages and influence the development of one's racial identity. The results from the web-based survey are also used to test the Salience of Race in Leisure Questionnaire which is intended to determine the extent to which one considers race when selecting free-time activities. Finally, focus groups explore the race-related meanings that youth attach to their free-time activities. Findings provide information about the impact of racial socialization on the beliefs youth develop concerning Black and non-Black activities. In summary, this study provides a starting point for examining socialization and saliency as factors impacting the free-time decisions of Blacks. Much replication, extension and application research will be required to extend findings from current results using student and general population samples. The dissertation is organized in five sections. An introductory section presents the theoretical orientation for research. The second, third, and fourth sections explain the relationship between racial socialization, racial identity and saliency of race, and free-time activities. The final section provides a summary of the key findings of this dissertation.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine how parents of African descent understand the African-centered school concept as an alternative education to the mainstream public school in Toronto. While we cannot ignore the success stories of some Black students in the school system, the reality remains that the academic performance of some shows a downward trend. Hence, concerned educators and members of the African-Canadian community suggest the need for the establishment of a Black focused or African-centered school as an alternative to the mainstream public school. This will allow students to learn more effectively because they are culturally grounded and will be able to link issues of individual or group identities with what goes on at school. This qualitative research relied principally on in-depth interviews with twenty African-Canadian parents who have children in the mainstream public schools in Toronto. It assumes that parents are important stakeholders in their children’s education so their views on problems and the need for an alternative form of schooling have significant implications for the academic performance of Black youth. The data from my study and available literature make it evident that despite the introduction of African heritage and multicultural programs and anti-racist education, profound problems still exist for Black youth in the mainstream public schools. The findings indicate that out of twenty, a majority of seventeen African-Canadian parents support the establishment of African-centered schools as an alternative to the mainstream public school. All participants interviewed agree that discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping in mainstream public schools are major problems for their children. The parents’ narratives show that the establishment of an African-centered school as an alternative to the mainstream public school is a way to combat the discrimination and prejudice Black youth encounter at school. The parents believe Black focused schools should be a major preoccupation of educational personnel, school boards and policy makers. Finally the implications of establishing an African-centered school to address the needs of Black youth and directions for future research are discussed.

The extant of available South African qualitative research which investigates issues of the post-apartheid youth appears to be diversified and increasing. A part of this corpus of research, seem to inform on post-apartheid identity formation. This current research explored the narrative forms located in the retellings of the apartheid past by 13 young black South Africans aged between 16 and 21. To this end, 68 different secondary narrative segments were obtained, by means of the analysed transcripts of in-depth interviewing, using a qualitative categorical-content framework. The data analysis yielded 12 themes, wherein the youth identified the primary narrators of the apartheid stories; contextualised settings and circumstances around narratives and explained apartheid social stratifications and treatment of black persons. They also conceptualized their understanding of apartheid laws and enforcement; explained apartheid experienced forms of loss and support; discussed apartheid education; talked about political figures and liberation; disclosed their own feelings about these stories; disclosed the impacts of stories on their own lives; considered the relevance of these narratives; stated what was learnt from it and provided a gauge of their interest in such stories. The findings suggest socially constructed second order narratives of racial hierarchies; marginalising the 'other'; vicarious experiences of affect; the incorporation of the logic of difference and a coexistence of tensions between these stories and present lifestyles. The research has located specific tones, imagery and themes within these narratives, which were duly incorporated in the metastory of this research. Recommendations were made concerning further research to be inclusive of youth from a wider racial and cultural spectrum, as well as investigation into aspects of non-interest and denialism about the apartheid past. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The extant of available South African qualitative research which investigates issues of the post-apartheid youth appears to be diversified and increasing. A part of this corpus of research, seem to inform on post-apartheid identity formation. This current research explored the narrative forms located in the retellings of the apartheid past by 13 young black South Africans aged between 16 and 21. To this end, 68 different secondary narrative segments were obtained, by means of the analysed transcripts of in-depth interviewing, using a qualitative categorical-content framework. The data analysis yielded 12 themes, wherein the youth identified the primary narrators of the apartheid stories; contextualised settings and circumstances around narratives and explained apartheid social stratifications and treatment of black persons. They also conceptualized their understanding of apartheid laws and enforcement; explained apartheid experienced forms of loss and support; discussed apartheid education; talked about political figures and liberation; disclosed their own feelings about these stories; disclosed the impacts of stories on their own lives; considered the relevance of these narratives; stated what was learnt from it and provided a gauge of their interest in such stories. The findings suggest socially constructed second order narratives of racial hierarchies; marginalising the 'other'; vicarious experiences of affect; the incorporation of the logic of difference and a coexistence of tensions between these stories and present lifestyles. The research has located specific tones, imagery and themes within these narratives, which were duly incorporated in the metastory of this research. Recommendations were made concerning further research to be inclusive of youth from a wider racial and cultural spectrum, as well as investigation into aspects of non-interest and denialism about the apartheid past. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine how parents of African descent understand the African-centered school concept as an alternative education to the mainstream public school in Toronto. While we cannot ignore the success stories of some Black students in the school system, the reality remains that the academic performance of some shows a downward trend. Hence, concerned educators and members of the African-Canadian community suggest the need for the establishment of a Black focused or African-centered school as an alternative to the mainstream public school. This will allow students to learn more effectively because they are culturally grounded and will be able to link issues of individual or group identities with what goes on at school. This qualitative research relied principally on in-depth interviews with twenty African-Canadian parents who have children in the mainstream public schools in Toronto. It assumes that parents are important stakeholders in their children’s education so their views on problems and the need for an alternative form of schooling have significant implications for the academic performance of Black youth. The data from my study and available literature make it evident that despite the introduction of African heritage and multicultural programs and anti-racist education, profound problems still exist for Black youth in the mainstream public schools. The findings indicate that out of twenty, a majority of seventeen African-Canadian parents support the establishment of African-centered schools as an alternative to the mainstream public school. All participants interviewed agree that discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping in mainstream public schools are major problems for their children. The parents’ narratives show that the establishment of an African-centered school as an alternative to the mainstream public school is a way to combat the discrimination and prejudice Black youth encounter at school. The parents believe Black focused schools should be a major preoccupation of educational personnel, school boards and policy makers. Finally the implications of establishing an African-centered school to address the needs of Black youth and directions for future research are discussed.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2006. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-06, page: 2580.

nÃo hà / Este projeto de pesquisa tem o objetivo de analisar a produÃÃo sociopolÃtica do ativismo digital negro por meio da observaÃÃo do uso do aplicativo Whatsapp pelo grupo âJuventude Negra Kalungaâ, grupo formado por jovens negros que tem como objetivo discutir as relaÃÃes raciais, dando Ãnfase à prÃtica do empoderamento juvenil e à identidade da juventude a partir de sua criaÃÃo nesse aplicativo. Pretende-se observar como o grupo interage neste ciberespaÃo e os desdobramentos que esse ambiente virtual desenvolve nas relaÃÃes presenciais e na construÃÃo de espaÃos de discussÃo para o exercÃcio da cidadania da juventude negra. / This research project aims to analyze the sociopolitical production of black digital activism by observing the use of the Whatsapp application by the group "Black Youth Kalunga", a group formed by young blacks that aims to discuss racial relations, with emphasis on the practice of youth empowerment and the identity of youth from its inception in this application. It is intended to observe how the group interacts in this cyberspace and the unfolding that this virtual environment develops in face-to-face relationships and in the construction of spaces of discussion for the exercise of black youth citizenship.

Problematic Internet use (PIU) and problematic video gaming (PVG) are associated with various negative health outcomes and are increasingly concerning behavioral health issues among youth. While market research indicates that US Latinx use the Internet and video games more frequently than non-Latinx US youth, research on PIU and PVG among this historically understudied population is lacking. Accordingly, data on PIU, PVG, parental monitoring, sleep quality, substance use, anxiety, depression, parental attachment, acculturation, and positive future orientation were collected using validated standardized measures from three separate samples of US Latinx and non-Latinx youth. The aims of this research were to explore the associations between PIU, PVG, and family, cultural, and individual wellbeing outcomes in a community sample of US Latinx and non-Latinx black adolescents. The first study (N = 159) examined the incidence of PVG among youth and found that younger elementary school aged males (ages 6-11) had the highest PVG scores, followed by middle school aged males (ages 12-14), and high school aged males (ages 15-18). Building off previous research, the second study collected data (N = 247) examined PIU as a mediator of the association between parental monitoring and academic achievement, sleep quality, substance use, anxiety, and depression. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to estimate the relationships between the variables, controlling for adolescent’s age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Results revealed that PIU is a significant mediator between parental monitoring and low academic achievement, sleep quality, substance use, anxiety, and depression. A third study was conducted to examine if PIU and PVG mediate the relation between family, cultural, individual constructs and academic achievement. Two separate simple mediation models were tested using PROCESS© macro v3.0 for SPSS 25. Results from the hypothesized mediation models were not significant. Suggestions for future research to examine critical Latinx cultural values and their influence on behavioral health is discussed.