Understanding the impact of racial socialization on acculturative stress: The mediating function of racial private regard among African immigrants

Racial socialization has been demonstrably linked to shaping the racial identity, and positive and negative indicators of psychological health of minoritized groups. The unique racial and ethnic identities of African immigrants warrant an investigation of their racial socialization processes and the influence it may have on psychological adaptation. Therefore, this study investigated the mediating role of racial private regard in the relationship between racial socialization and acculturative stress among a sample of 172 black African immigrants in the U.S. The results revealed that racial socialization directly contributes to increased acculturative stress. Yet, mediation analysis revealed that increased racial socialization contributed to an increase in positive feelings about race, which then decreased experiences of acculturative stress. The results present significant implications for promoting racial socialization practices that foster internalization of positive feelings about one’s racial group while addressing the factors that exacerbate acculturative stress.