This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Black parents who experienced higher levels of appropriated racial oppression—defined as shaping one's behavior and self-concept around dominant cultural norms of whiteness—were less likely to transmit positive, culturally protective messages that affirmed racial pride and self-worth to their adolescent children, a recent study found. However, these effects were moderated by skin tone, becoming more pronounced among lighter-skinned parents and teens, said first author Shardé McNeil Smith, a professor of human development and family studies and African American studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, the study was co-written by then-research coordinator Jaden Anderson and Shawn C.T. Jones, a professor and the director of the counseling psychology program, both of Virginia Commonwealth University; and U. of I. graduate students Anisa Codamon and Chelsea S. The findings raise troubling questions about the generational effects of racial oppression and how it may hamper parents' ability to instill resilience, cultural pride and other protective qualities that prepare youths for navigating a racialized society, Smith said.
"We know that Black parents engage in parenting practices that help their children if and when they encounter racial discrimination, but we find that parents' own racialized worldview can impact their ability to transmit positive messages that are empirically found to promote well-being," Smith said. "Interestingly, our research found that this is particularly apparent for parents and youth with lighter skin tones." The study included 201 pairs of Black parents—75% of whom were the mothers—and their adolescent children who were part of the Ethnic and Racial Dynamics in Black Families project. About 15% of the adults were the children's fathers, and the remainder were other relatives who were the children's primary caregivers, such as grandparents or aunts.
The adults' average age was about 43, while the adolescents' average age was about 15. The majority of the adults were college educated, having earned two- or four-year college degrees or master's, doctoral or professional degrees, according to the study. The adults' levels of appropriated racial oppression were assessed with a 24-item scale that examined their emotional responses to being a member of their race, negative perceptions of their racial group and beauty standards such as their perceptions of attractiveness or superiority associated with skin tones.
In addition, the scale measured the adults' patterns of thinking about the consequences and implications of discrimination, their childhood history with racial/ethnic socialization experiences and their racism-related levels of stress. Likewise, the adolescents' perceptions of their parents' or caregivers' racial or ethnic socialization messages and behaviors during the prior year were assessed. These included the adults' emphasizing racial pride and unity; instilling self-worth and positive feelings toward other Black people; discussing racial inequalities and coping strategies; promoting interracial understanding and coexistence among Black and white people; and the adults' activities or behaviors related to Black culture, such as buying the teen Black toys or games.
In addition, the teens were asked about their parents' or caregivers' negative messaging, such as disparaging Black people. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly. Participants' perceptions of their own and others' skin tones were assessed using the New Immigrant Survey Skin Color Scale, an instrument used by researchers to explore the effects of racial prejudice based on skin tone.
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