Black female adolescents' self-esteem: Effects of socialization and resilience

Recent research indicates that among the different ethnic groups in the United States, African Americans report the highest level of self-esteem (Twenge & Crocker, 2002). However, the literature offers a monolithic categorization of African Americans. Black individuals from countries where Blacks are the majority are socialized to think differently about matters of race compared with the thinking of African Americans. Likewise, membership in the minority group will have different implications for Black Caribbeans. The current study examined the effects of racial socialization and resilience on the self-esteem of two groups of Black girls: African Americans and Black Caribbeans. Because of the theorized difference in racial socialization, it was hypothesized that the two groups would differ in their levels of self-esteem and that resilience would moderate the relationship between racial socialization and self-esteem. Participants consisted of 25 African American and 26 Black Caribbean high school students. Results revealed that African American girls reported a higher level of self-esteem and had more cultural pride than their Caribbean counterparts. No significant relationships were found between self-esteem and resilience. Although none of the racial socialization subscales had a significant effect on self-esteem, the interaction of ethnicity and cultural pride did suggest an effect on self-esteem.