NCJ Number
178878
Journal
Journal of Social Service Research Volume: 25 Issue: 1-2 Dated: 1999 Pages: 19-40
Date Published
1999
Length
22 pages
Annotation
The relationship between race and two measures of distress was studied using data from a nationally representative sample of 918 black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white youths ages 10-17 years, surveyed in the National Commission on Children's 1990 Survey of Parents and Children.
Abstract
The research tested whether minority racial status had an independent effect when socioeconomic status, social support patterns, gender, and age were controlled. The telephone interviews were conducted during November 1990. The research used random-digit dialing and over-sampled blacks, Hispanics, and households with children ages 10-17 years. The scales on mood and worry were used to produce measures of self-reported distress. Race was not significantly associated with mood. However, Hispanic heritage was significantly related to worry. African-American children reported more worry than did white children, but the relationship did not reach statistical significance. Females and younger children were significantly more likely to express worry than were males and older youth. Findings provided partial support for the hypothesis that race, in and of itself, is related to distress in children. Findings also demonstrated the complexity and challenge involved in untangling the effect of race on the emotional well-being of minority youth. Findings supported the need for tailoring mental health programs to the needs of female children and adolescents and to design early intervention programs that target younger minority children. Tables and 48 references (Author abstract modified)