Trenette Clark Goings1, Christopher P Salas-Wright2, Kamilah Legette3, Faye Z Belgrave4, Michael G Vaughn5. 1. School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 325 Pittsboro St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA. ttclark@email.unc.edu. 2. School of Social Work, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA. 3. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 100 E. Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA. 4. Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 820 W. Franklin St, Richmond, VA, 23284, USA. 5. Division of Prevention Science and Community Health, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Previous studies have examined externalizing behaviors among African American youth using variable-centered approaches that study aggression and delinquency separately. However, aggression and delinquency often operate together in shaping adolescent behavior. For this reason, person-centered approaches are essential for identifying subgroups of African American youth using multiple indicators of aggression and delinquency to model the behavioral heterogeneity within this population. We examined the relationship between interpersonal, school, and parenting factors and externalizing behaviors among African American youth. METHOD: Drawing from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2015-2018, we conducted latent class analysis based on 5 externalizing behavior indicator variables (i.e., serious fight, attack to harm, stealing, drug selling, handgun carrying) using a sample of 7,236 African American adolescents, aged 12-17. RESULTS: We identified a three class solution: Class #1-No Involvement (74.4%), characterized by very low levels of involvement in all of the externalizing behaviors examined; Class #2-Serious fight (23.3%), which is characterized by near-universal involvement in a serious fight, far lower levels of attack to harm, and negligible levels of stealing, drug selling, and handgun caring; and Class #3-Multidimensional externalizing (2.3%), characterized by very high levels of involvement in all of the externalizing variables examined. CONCLUSION: Most African American youth are not involved in externalizing behaviors. It is vital to support both the large majority of African-American youth who are abstaining from externalizing behaviors and to develop/implement programs to address the contextual and interpersonal needs of youth at elevated risk for consequences related to externalizing.
PURPOSE: Previous studies have examined externalizing behaviors among African American youth using variable-centered approaches that study aggression and delinquency separately. However, aggression and delinquency often operate together in shaping adolescent behavior. For this reason, person-centered approaches are essential for identifying subgroups of African American youth using multiple indicators of aggression and delinquency to model the behavioral heterogeneity within this population. We examined the relationship between interpersonal, school, and parenting factors and externalizing behaviors among African American youth. METHOD: Drawing from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2015-2018, we conducted latent class analysis based on 5 externalizing behavior indicator variables (i.e., serious fight, attack to harm, stealing, drug selling, handgun carrying) using a sample of 7,236 African American adolescents, aged 12-17. RESULTS: We identified a three class solution: Class #1-No Involvement (74.4%), characterized by very low levels of involvement in all of the externalizing behaviors examined; Class #2-Serious fight (23.3%), which is characterized by near-universal involvement in a serious fight, far lower levels of attack to harm, and negligible levels of stealing, drug selling, and handgun caring; and Class #3-Multidimensional externalizing (2.3%), characterized by very high levels of involvement in all of the externalizing variables examined. CONCLUSION: Most African American youth are not involved in externalizing behaviors. It is vital to support both the large majority of African-American youth who are abstaining from externalizing behaviors and to develop/implement programs to address the contextual and interpersonal needs of youth at elevated risk for consequences related to externalizing.
Authors: Jennifer M Reingle; Mildred M Maldonado-Molina; Wesley G Jennings; Kelli A Komro Journal: J Adolesc Health Date: 2012-02-23 Impact factor: 5.012
Authors: Trenette Clark Goings; Christopher P Salas-Wright; Kamilah Legette; Faye Z Belgrave; Michael G Vaughn Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2021-08-11 Impact factor: 4.328