The importance of different sources of social support on the associations between racial/ethnic discrimination experiences and worries on adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms

Abstract

Following a risk and resilience framework, the current study examined whether different sources of social support moderate the associations between racial/ethnic discrimination experiences and worries on adolescent internalizing, and externalizing symptoms among a sample of Black and Hispanic adolescents. The potential modifying role of race/ethnicity was also explored. The current study used the third wave of data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). The total sample included 835 self-identified Black and Hispanic adolescents (M [subscript age] = 15.2, SD = 1.58; 50.9 % female, 49.1% male). Using path analysis and multiple group analysis via Mplus (version 8.6), results showed that racial/ethnic discrimination experiences were associated with both adolescents internalizing and externalizing symptoms, whereas racial/ethnic discrimination worries were associated with only adolescent internalizing symptoms. There were no significant multigroup differences by sources of support or race/ethnicity. Although the current study did not find support for the protective model of resilience, there was some support for the compensatory model of resilience.