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A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Impact Of Child Custody Loss On Drug Use And Crime Among A Sample Of African American Mothers, Kathi L. H. Harp, Carrie B. Oser

Health Management and Policy Faculty Publications

This study examines the influence of child custody loss on drug use and crime among a sample of African American mothers. Two types of custody loss are examined: informal custody loss (child living apart from mother but courts not involved), and official loss (child removed from mother’s care by authorities).

Methods—Using data from 339 African American women, longitudinal random coefficient models analyzed the effects of each type of custody loss on subsequent drug use and crime.

Results—Results indicated that both informal and official custody loss predicted increased drug use, and informal loss predicted increased criminal involvement. Findings demonstrate …

Understanding The Pathways To Youth Involvement In The Juvenile Justice System: A Longitudinal Investigation Of Poor, Inner-City African American Adolescents, Charlene Harris

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

It is widely recognized that African American youth are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system in comparison to other ethnic/racial groups, and this has generated a large body of research into the etiology and prevention of crime in this population. Although there has been considerable research attention to identifying and reducing the disproportionate contact among African American youth within the juvenile justice system, it is still unclear what factors contribute to their involvement in the criminal justice system. Accordingly, the dissertation tests whether self-reports of behaviors in early adolescence are predictive official offending behaviors in late adolescence, as measured …

Examining The Influence Of Parents, Teachers, And Neighborhood Safety On African American Adolescents’ Motivation And Achievement, Clarissa R. Roan-Belle

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Guided by the theoretical frameworks of Baumrind’s parenting style theory, interpersonal expectations, Self Determination Theory, and self-efficacy, this study examines factors that influence African American students’ GPA and motivation, specifically associations between parents’ and teachers’ control, warmth, and educational expectations and African American adolescents’ GPA, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation were examined. The moderating effects of neighborhood safety on the aforementioned associations were also assessed. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, this study found that parents’ warmth and expectations were positive predictors of all educational variables, while parents control was a negative predictor of GPA and intrinsic motivation. …

Generational Influences On Educational Perceptions Of Rural African Americans, Quentin Romar Tyler

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This study discussed research exploring intergenerational influences on the educational experiences and expectations of rural African Americans in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Hopkinsville is located in a district that has lagged behind reaching state and national benchmarks in educational attainment. It is home to one of the largest African American communities in the state and reflects striking disparities in educational achievement by race as it struggles to close achievement gaps generally. Through qualitative case study, this study found that both college track sons and parents shared comparable views on education while low performing parents and sons did not have the same views. …

Psychosocial Stress And Prostate Cancer: A Theoretical Model, Gary L. Ellison, Ann L. Coker, James R. Hebert, Maureen Sanderson, Charmaine D. Royal, Sally P. Weinrich

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

African-American men are more likely to develop and die from prostate cancer than are European-American men; yet, factors responsible for the racial disparity in incidence and mortality have not been elucidated. Socioeconomic disadvantage can lead to psychosocial stress and may be linked to negative lifestyle behaviors. Regardless of socioeconomic position, African-American men routinely experience racism-induced stress. We propose a theoretical framework for an association between psychosocial stress and prostate cancer. With the context of history and culture, we further propose that psychosocial stress may partially explain the variable incidence of prostate cancer between these diverse groups. Psychosocial stress may negatively …