Risk and Protective Factors: Development of African American Youth

描述（由申请人提供）： 根据NIH项目公告PA-05-093，基于NICHD早期儿童保育和青年发展研究的二级数据分析，（NICHD SECCYD），旨在对NICHD SECCYD进行二次数据分析，以复制和扩展描述多种风险因素的长期或短暂暴露预测非裔美国青年从幼儿到成年的学业成绩的途径的研究结果。青春期早期虽然面临多种社会风险因素的儿童入学时往往学习技能较低，社会情感困难较多，在上学期间远远落后于成绩较好的同学，但许多来自风险环境的儿童在学校取得了成功。不幸的是，非洲裔美国儿童比他们的白色同龄人更有可能经历这种逆境，这似乎有助于非洲裔美国人和他们的白色同龄人在童年中期和青春期之间的成就差距扩大。了解儿童，家庭和学校的因素，在早期和中期的童年，影响学校的成功和非洲裔美国儿童的调整是至关重要的，以促进他们的学业成绩，从而，作为成年人的机会。本研究的具体目标是：（a）描述暴露于多种社会风险因素的严重程度、时间和持续时间与非洲裔美国儿童的学业成绩和学校适应的关系; B）通过与儿童特征的联系，确定暴露于多种风险与青年的学业成绩和适应能力的关系（语言，种族认同，同伴关系），家庭特征（母亲抑郁症，响应和激励父母），和学校的特点（教师/学生关系）;和c）测试是否选定的儿童，家庭和学校的特点作为保护因素，在逆境中的非洲裔美国青年。研究参与者是176名非裔美国儿童和他们的家庭在SECCYD的语言，早期识字技能，家庭和学校环境已被前瞻性地记录，从婴儿期到六年级。增长曲线分析将学术成果与多个风险指数相关联，这些风险指数反映了逆境的程度、时间和持续时间。分析将测试是否假设的因素作为中介或保护因素，在有关暴露于多种风险因素，学校的能力。研究结果应该有重要的影响，影响非裔美国青少年的学校成功的社会文化因素，并指导干预工作，旨在减少风险，促进成功的学校能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed study, in response to NIH Program Announcement PA-05-093, Secondary Data Analysis Based on the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD SECCYD), seeks to conduct secondary data analysis of the NICHD SECCYD to replicate and extend findings that describe pathways through which chronic or transitory exposure to multiple risk factors predict academic outcomes among African American youth from early childhood to early adolescence. Although children exposed to multiple social risk factors often enter school with less developed academic skills and more socio-emotional difficulties and fall further behind their more advantaged classmates during their school years, many children from risky contexts succeed in school. African-American children, unfortunately, are more likely to experience such adversity than their white peers, and this appears to contribute to the widening achievement gap between African American and their white peers during middle childhood and adolescence. Understanding the child, family, and school factors during early and middle childhood that affect the school success and adjustment of African American children is critical to promoting their academic achievement, and thereby, opportunities as adults. The specific objectives of this study are to: a) describe the extent to which the severity, timing, and duration of exposure to multiple social risk factors relate to African American children's academic achievement and school adjustment; b) determine the extent to which exposure to multiple risks relates to youth's academic achievement and adjustment through its association with child characteristics (language, ethnic identity, peer relations), family characteristics (maternal depression, responsive and stimulating parenting), and school characteristics (teacher/student relationship); and c) test whether the selected child, family, and school characteristics serve as protective factors in the presence of adversity for African American youth. Study participants are the 176 African American children and their families in the SECCYD whose language, early literacy skills, and family and school environments have been prospectively documented since infancy through sixth grade. Growth curve analyses will relate academic outcomes to multiple risk indices that reflect extent, timing, and duration of exposure to adversity. Analyses will test whether hypothesized factors serve as mediating or protective factors in relating exposure to multiple risk factors to school competence. Study findings should have important implications for the sociocultural factors that affect the school success of African American adolescents and guide intervention efforts directed at reducing risk and promoting success in school competence.