Ethnic-Racial Socialization & Child Mental Health as a Function of Parental Stress

Abstract

Black Canadians experience racial discrimination and race related stress frequently. However, there are few studies to date elaborating on these common experiences of Black Canadians and on ways to promote resilience. Existing research suggests that a sense of meaning, or meaning mindset (agency over thoughts and behaviour, hope for the future, positive self-concept, and openness to experience), is a protective factor for mental health. Further, parental stress in general is predictive of child well-being challenges. No research has examined parental racial stress in relationship to Black ethnic-racial socialization and child well-being. The relationships between parental racial stress, ethnic-racial socialization, meaning mindset in parents and children, and mental health in children need to be explored before potential interventions can be recommended. Ethnic-racial socialization involves the messages that children receive about their race and ethnicity. This pilot study examined the predictive relationship between parental racial stress and ethnic-racial socialization. This study also investigated the relationship between racial stress in Black Canadian parents, the ethnic-racial socialization Black Canadian children have been exposed to, meaning in parents and children, and the mental wellbeing of Black Canadian children. Participants were 35 Black Canadian parents and their children. Participants were sent links to an online survey which included demographic questions and measures of ethnic-racial socialization, racial stress and meaning mindset for parents. The survey sent for the children included measures of meaning mindset and mental wellbeing. This study also examined the experiences of five Black parents raising their Black children in Canada. For this study, in a regression analysis, parental racial stress predicted parent messaging to children about their race and identity as Black. Further, in a hierarchical regression analysis, parental racial stress predicted child meaning mindset, which further predicted child mental health (p≤.05). Ethnic-racial socialization and parental meaning mindset were not included in the hierarchical model, as they were not significantly associated with child well-being. Overall, the results of this study suggest that parents who experience racial stress may feel driven to foster Black identity in their children. Further, similar to research on general parental stress and child well-being, parental racial stress predicted child meaning mindset and child mental health. Directions for future research and potential implications for clinical practice or public mental health promotion are presented.