Session: Black [Family] Magic: Exploring Mechanisms for Thriving Under Conditions of Racial Inequality (Society for Social Work and Research 24th Annual Conference - Reducing Racial and Economic Inequality)

Background Racial discrimination is a common experience for Black people in the United States and persistent threat to the health and well-being of Black families. Racial discrimination has been linked to negative health outcomes for Black people including depression, suicidal ideation, elevated blood pressure, and risk for cardiovascular diseases. The Black Families Project (BFP), a national dyadic caregiver and adolescent survey, extends the research on the negative health implications of racial discrimination by considering familial factors that help Black caregivers and adolescents thrive in contexts of racial discrimination. Studying the multidimensional nature of racial discrimination while exploring familial factors that help Black caregivers and adolescents thrive in needed. Healthy familial relationships have been shown to have a positive impact on the physical, mental and economic health of Black adults and adolescents. These relationships are also a known protective factor against the negative effects of individual, institutional, and cultural discrimination. What is less well understood are the socialization and communication factors that contribute to healthy familial relationships across a spectrum of Black families that differ with regard to family structure, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and ethnic background. BFP data extends prior research on the health of Black families in a nuanced and interdisciplinary way. This is necessary to advance academic scholarship on the health and well-being of Black families in our current socio-political climate. Method Paper One utilized caregiver data (n= 604) to explore the relationship between neighborhood cohesion and perceptions of procedural justice in policing. The role of cultural race-related stress was examined as a moderator. Data were analyzed using hierarchical regression. Paper Two utilized adolescent data (n=604) to explore the impact of individual-level and family-level factors on youth report of suicidal ideation within the past 12 months. Data were analyzed using logistic regression. Paper Three utilized adolescent female data (n= 287) to explore the relationship between father involvement and adolescents' intent to engage in risky behavior. The data were analyzed using hierarchical regression. Paper Four also utilized the adolescent female data (n= 287) to investigate the relationship between general and gendered racial socialization, racial identity, and depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed with a path analysis. Results Paper One highlights findings on structural and local environmental factors that can influence perceptions of police among Black adults in the US. Paper Two highlights protective factors against suicidal ideation for Black youth and the bidirectional effects of parent-child relationships in the context of suicide. Paper Three highlights multiple dimensions of father involvement and differential impacts on risky behavior by father residence type. Paper Four illustrates how general and gendered racial socialization differentially impact the racial identity and symptoms of depression among Black girls. Implications The Black Families project data allows us to consider individual, familial, environmental and structural determinants of wellness in Black families, including economic and racial inequalities associated with racial discrimination. These papers advance the scientific knowledge base on Black family dynamics from the perspective of Black parents/caregivers and adolescents. Implications for social work intervention, policy, and practice are discussed.