Literature highlights the significance of culture in one's behavioral and emotional functioning. However, few studies have explored the role of culture in stress resilience among African American youth. Our purpose was to assess whether the relationship between stressful events and externalizing/internalizing behavior in African American adolescents is moderated by culture-specific variables. The investigated culture-specific variables include ethnic identity (sense of belonging to one's ethnic group), Africentric values (adherence to an African worldview), and Africultural coping style (cognitive/emotional debriefing [efforts to manage perceived environmental stressors], collective coping [dependence on group activities to cope with stressors], spiritual-centered coping [behavior that reflect harmony with spiritual aspects of the universe], and ritual-centered coping [use of rituals to handle stress]). The extent to which these variables serve as protective factors is explored from a culturally-relevant theory of stress. This culturally-relevant theory gives explicit attention to the role of culture in each element of the stress experience as it emphasizes the social embeddedness of each individual.

The participant sample included 146 African American adolescents between the ages of 13-18 years old involved in academic enrichment programs in their respective schools. The sample was comprised of 101 females and 45 males. Sixty-six percent of the sample qualified for reduced-fee or free lunch.

Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the moderating effects of the culture-specific variables on the relationship between stressful events and externalizing/internalizing behavior. Findings indicated that (1) ethnic identity moderated the relationship between stressful events and internalizing behavior, (2) Africentric values had a moderating effect on the relationship between stressful events and externalizing behavior, (3) cognitive/emotional debriefing served as a moderator in the relationship between stressful events and externalizing behavior, and (4) cognitive/emotional debriefing moderated the relationship between stressful events and internalizing behavior. These findings suggest that intervention and prevention strategies aimed at reducing psychological symptoms associated with stress should integrate a cultural enrichment component in order to increase the effectiveness of these strategies with African American adolescents. Future research must continue to identify culture-specific factors that may promote positive outcomes for a population considered to be “at risk” for psychological symptoms (i.e. externalizing behavior and internalizing behavior). (Full text of this dissertation may be available via the University of Florida Libraries web site. Please check http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/etd.html)