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Contextual Stress and Health Risk Behaviors Among African American Adolescents

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Abstract

This study examined the longitudinal association between contextual stress and health risk behaviors and the role of protective factors in a community epidemiologically-defined sample of urban African American adolescents (N = 500; 46.4% female). Structural equation modeling was used to create a latent variable measuring contextual stress (community violence, neighborhood disorder, and experiences with racial discrimination). Contextual stress in 8th grade was associated with aggressive behavior and substance use 2 years later for boys. For girls, contextual stress predicted later substance use, but not aggressive behavior. High academic competence and self-worth reduced the impact of contextual stress on substance use for boys. Implications for intervention and directions for future research on health risk behaviors among African American adolescents are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH057005, P30MH066247: PI Ialongo), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA011796: PI Ialongo), and by Award Number P20MD000165 and 00198 from the National Center On Minority Health And Health Disparities. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center On Minority Health And Health Disparities or the National Institutes of Health. The authors thank the youth, parents, and teachers who participated in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 200 North Wolfe Street, Suite 2027, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Nikeea Copeland-Linder

  2. Department of Psychology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA

    Sharon F. Lambert

  3. Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Yi-Fu Chen

  4. Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Nicholas S. Ialongo

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  1. Nikeea Copeland-Linder
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  2. Sharon F. Lambert
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Correspondence to Nikeea Copeland-Linder.

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Copeland-Linder, N., Lambert, S.F., Chen, YF. et al. Contextual Stress and Health Risk Behaviors Among African American Adolescents. J Youth Adolescence 40, 158–173 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9520-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9520-y

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