104 p., According to the 2010 census Caribbean immigrants make up 49% of the Black immigrant population of the United States, yet there remains a limited amount of acculturation research with Caribbean immigrants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between acculturation, ethnic identity, and psychological outcomes in a sample of immigrants of African-Caribbean descent. Using Berry's (1997) theoretical framework for acculturation research, the author hypothesized that ethnic identity mediates the relationship between acculturation and psychological outcomes. A sample of adult, self-identified immigrants of African-Caribbean descent recruited in the Houston metropolitan area completed a survey packet that included a bidimensional measure of acculturation, a measure of ethnic identity, and scales of self-esteem, life satisfaction, and depression.
96 p., Recent research indicates that among the different ethnic groups in the United States, African Americans report the highest level of self-esteem (Twenge & Crocker, 2002). However, the literature offers a monolithic categorization of African Americans. Black individuals from countries where Blacks are the majority are socialized to think differently about matters of race compared with the thinking of African Americans. Likewise, membership in the minority group will have different implications for Black Caribbeans. The current study examined the effects of racial socialization and resilience on the self-esteem of two groups of Black girls: African Americans and Black Caribbeans. Because of the theorized difference in racial socialization, it was hypothesized that the two groups would differ in their levels of self-esteem and that resilience would moderate the relationship between racial socialization and self-esteem. Participants consisted of 25 African American and 26 Black Caribbean high school students.
This study examines the demographic correlates of psychological distress and psychological well-being among older African American and black Caribbean adults.
208 p., Recent prevalence rates of clinical depression in African Americans seeking services from primary care facilities reveal that African Americans are presenting with more depression symptoms than any other group. Although there is research on depression among women in general, the research among women of African descent is very limited while research on subsets of this population (Afro-Caribbean) is even more limited. Women of African descent residing in the United States are treated as a homogeneous population. Although some Afro-Caribbean women may share similar experiences with their African American counterparts, their immigration status may create unique concerns. Thus, categorizing all women of African descent as African American may provide a biased and inaccurate description of the problem.
129 p., As the numbers of Black second generation immigrants (SGIs) in the United States increase because of increased numbers of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean, more research is needed to explain how varying Black ethnic groups perceive and interpret illness to address health disparities (Ayalon & Young, 2005). General health locus of control (HLOC) helps to explain how people attribute the sources of control over their health (Masters & Wallston, 2005) and engage in help-seeking behaviors. HLOC has not been examined in SGIs because of a failure to examine group identity to account for within group differences among Black populations and a lack of culturally sensitive measurements of HLOC. The purpose of this study was to utilize a HLOC measure that included conventional and supernatural dimensions to examine the relationship between group identity, HLOC, and help-seeking in a sample of Black African and Caribbean SGIs. 157 second generation Black immigrants (72 West African and 85 Caribbean) were recruited for this study.
107 p., The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-Third Edition (MCMI-III) currently ranks among the most commonly utilized personality tools. Most of the studies that examined racial/ethnic differences on the MCMI were conducted using the MCMI-I and MCMI-II. While many MCMI studies have explored racial differences, few studies have examined the impact of cultural factors on MCMI-III performance. In the current study, the performance of African Americans (n = 52) and Caribbean Blacks (n = 77) were compared on the Antisocial, Narcissistic, Paranoid, and Delusional Disorder scales of the MCMI-III.
Although the Americas and Caribbean region are purported to comprise different ethnic groups, this article’s focus is on people of African descent, who represent the largest ethnic group in many countries. The emphasis on people of African descent is related to their family structure, ethnic identity, cultural, psychohistorical, and contemporary psychosocial realities. This article discusses the limitations of Western psychology for theory, research, and applied work on people of African descent in the Americas and Caribbean region.
