Kinship Social Support and Adolescent Racial Socialization Beliefs: Extending the Self to Family

Abstract

This study explored the relationship between adolescent reports of the level of kinship support they experience as members of an extended family network and racial socialization beliefs. A large grupofAfricanAmericanadolescents(n = 229) was administered the Scale ofRacial SocializationforAdolescents (SORS-A), the Kinship Social Support Scale (KSS), and a question regarding the amount of parental communication about racism. MANOVA results indicate significant differences between adolescents with high, moderate, and low levels of kinship support across three offour SORS-A factors (i.e., spiritual and religious coping, extended family caring, and cultural pride reinforcement). These factors make up the proactive dimension of adolescent racial socialization beliefs. The protective dimension (i.e., racism awareness teaching) was nonsignificant in relationship to kinship support. Future research on the importance of the relationship of ecological networks and racial socialization attitudes is discussed.