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Anti-racism approaches require an honest examination of cause, impact, and committed action to change, despite discomfort and without experiential avoidance. While contextual behavioral science (CBS) and third wave cognitive-behavioral modalities demonstrate efficacy among samples composed of primarily White individuals, data regarding their efficacy with people of color, and Black Americans in particular, is lacking. It is important to consider the possible effects of racial stress and trauma on Black clients, and to tailor approaches and techniques grounded in CBS accordingly. We describe how CBS has not done enough to address the needs of Black American communities, using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) as examples. We also provide examples at the level of research representation, organizational practices, and personal experiences to illuminate covert racist policy tools that maintain inequities. Towards eradicating existing racism in the field, we conclude with suggestions for researchers and leadership in professional psychological organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black families are significantly less likely to receive evidence-based trauma treatment services; however, little is known about factors impacting engagement, particularly at Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs). The goal of this study is to better understand barriers and facilitators of service utilization for Black caregivers of CAC referred youth. Participants (n = 15) were randomly selected Black maternal caregivers (ages 26–42) recruited from a pool of individuals who were referred to receive CAC services. Black maternal caregivers reported barriers to accessing services at CACs including a lack of assistance and information in the referral and onboarding process, transportation issues, childcare, employment hours, system mistrust, stigma associated with the service system, and outside stressors such as stressors related to parenting. Maternal caregivers also shared suggestions for improving services at CACs including increasing the length, breadth, and clarity of investigations conducted by child protection services and law enforcement (LE) agencies, providing case management services, and having more diverse staff and discussing racial stressors. We conclude by identifying specific barriers to the initiation and engagement in services for Black families, and we provide suggestions for CACs seeking to improve engagement of Black families referred for trauma-related mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the influence of structural racism and racial trauma on HIV-related outcomes among African Americans. Topics include the impact of the mass incarceration of African Americans on racial disparities in HIV-related outcomes, association between racial trauma and psychological distress, and recommendations for public health practice and research.

In addition to being involved and encouraging their youth academically, many African American caregivers also employ socialization practices that prepare their adolescents for entering into a school system where they will be an ethnic minority or be taught by predominantly non-minority educators. The purpose of the current investigation was to fill existing gaps in the literature by examining two dimensions of parental socialization practices: academic socialization (parent school involvement and academic encouragement) and racial socialization (cultural pride, preparation for bias, and egalitarian messages). Additionally, this study examined how the identified profiles are associated with African American adolescents' academic outcomes (academic engagement and academic self-beliefs). A latent profile analysis was utilized to analyze data on 140 African American adolescent participants (M = 12.4; SD = 1.13; 56% female). Profiles that were identified included (a) academic socializers, (b) low race salient socializers, (c) preparation for bias socializers, (d) unengaged socializers, (e) multifaceted socializers, and (f) race salient socializers. Although there was no demographic (age, gender, SES) variation in profile membership, there were some differences in academic engagement and adolescents' academic-self beliefs. Findings highlight the importance of examining how academic and racial socialization work together and their association with adolescents' academic outcomes. Implications are discussed for school psychologists and educators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This preliminary investigation explored associations between African American students' perceptions of racial fairness, dimensions of school engagement (behavioral, emotional, cognitive) and school discipline (office discipline referrals, out-of-school suspensions), and the role of gender as an important social context for these associations. In this cross-sectional investigation, participants were 151 (78 girls; 73 boys) high school students from the southeastern United States who reported on their perceptions of the school's racial fairness and their engagement. Discipline outcomes were retrieved from school record data. For girls, results revealed a significant indirect relationship (small to medium effect) between perceived racial fairness and office discipline referrals through emotional engagement. For boys, a significant indirect association of perceived racial fairness on office discipline referrals (medium effect) and out-of-school suspensions (large effect) through behavioral engagement was found. Implications for our findings are discussed for the work of school psychologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Despite the abundance of research aimed at quantifying the impact of racism on the mental and physical health of African Americans, results remain inconclusive largely because of challenges with operationalization, as well as conflation with the concept of racial discrimination, which may be more readily assessed. The purpose of the current study was to: (a) determine whether racial discrimination had an impact on the degree of alcohol use and binge drinking among African American emerging adults, and if so, (b) determine whether perceived stress linked to racially discriminatory experiences moderated these associations. Method: We used a series of hierarchical regressions to examine associations among racial discrimination, perceived stress, and degree of alcohol consumption in a sample of African American emerging adults in the southeast (n = 235). Results: We found that the association between racial discrimination and degree of alcohol consumption (alcohol use and binge drinking) was strongest among individuals who reported greater levels of perceived stress linked to racial discrimination experiences. This association, however, was not significant for individuals who reported lower levels of perceived stress in response to racial discrimination. Conclusions: African Americans who experience a high degree of perceived stress in response to experiences with racial discrimination may be at greater risk for problem drinking than their peers with less perceived stress. These findings highlight the need for novel intervention efforts aimed at mitigating the effects of stress and racial discrimination on health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the proclamation of a "postracial" society, racism in the United States remains "alive and sick" (S. P. Harrell, 2000), negatively impacting the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of Black Americans. Moreover, the complex impact of racism throughout the life span is inadequately understood. Coping with the insidiousness of racism in its myriad forms requires recognizing how it expresses across development. In this developmental overview, we apply a life-course perspective (Gee, Walsemann, & Brondolo, 2012) to investigate racism-related stress and coping over time. Within each period of development, we first explore how racism-related stress may present for Black Americans and then document what coping from this stress looks like, highlighting extant strategies and interventions where they exist. This work concludes with a set of definitional, methodological, and clinical future directions and recommendations for improving the field's ability to mitigate the deleterious impact of racism-related stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]