Black History Month ~ In the News

In brief

Snapshots of some of the latest peer-reviewed research within psychology and related fields.

Monitor on Psychology February 2012, Vol 43, No. 2

For African-Americans, perceived racism may cause mental health symptoms similar to trauma and could even lead to physical health disparities, according to a meta-analysis of 66 studies comprising 18,140 black adults in the United States. The study showed that blacks who reported experiencing more and very stressful racism were more likely to report depression and anxiety, which may contribute to the black population's high rate of hypertension (Journal of Counseling Psychology, Nov. 7).

FEATURE

Where's the progress?

Despite decades of work, the educational achievement gap between whites and ethnic minorities continues, said speakers at an APA convention session.

By Lea Winerman

Monitor Staff

October 2011, Vol 42, No. 9

Print version: page 28

On average, African-American and Latino students in the United States score lower on tests of academic achievement than their white counterparts. The troublesome data show up at every grade level and across the academic spectrum, from reading to math, and the disparities have frustrated educators for decades.

"We've spent more than half a century trying unsuccessfully to address the achievement gap," said Frank C. Worrell, PhD, at APA's 2011 Annual Convention. "I'm convinced that's because we're looking for one cause. And we need to look at many causes."

Worrell, a school psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, spoke at a convention panel that examined new research on causes of the achievement gap—and potential solutions.

Other problems the speakers cited included:

• A lack of diversity in schools. Schools are more segregated now than at any time in the past 40 years, said Sandra Graham, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles. Such lack of diversity is bad for students, she argued, as it can make students in the minority group feel more vulnerable. It can also breed cultural mistrust and a sense of discrimination that could influence the achievement gap, she suggested.
• A failure to support immigrant students. These children come to the United States with a wide variety of educational, socioeconomic and other backgrounds and often with high goals, said Andrew Fuligni, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles. When given access to resources and opportunities, they can fare better than American-born students. "When some of them are not doing well, it's not because of lack of aspiration, it's because of lack of opportunities," he said.
• Too few leaders of color. "Until we get more African-American and Latino students through the academic pipeline, then our nation will fail to cultivate the human resources it needs for the 21st century," said A. Wade Boykin, PhD, of Howard University. Solving the problem will involve making classroom changes on many levels, he said, including improving students' confidence and belief that they can learn and succeed academically.
• A failure to support ESL students. Students whose native language is not English often fall behind because they are expected to learn math, history and other subjects before they fully know the language, said Samuel Ortiz, PhD, of St. John's University. These students would be better served, he argued, if schools taught them content in their native language while gradually transitioning into English-language classes.

The education gap is actually similar to the health gap in the United States, pointed out Steven Quintana, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In some ways the two mirror each other—minorities in this country generally have poorer health outcomes than whites. But, he said, health disparities often result from minorities having less contact with health professionals, while educational disparities result from "problematic contact" that might be harder to change.

FEATURE

And social justice for all

In her presidential address, Melba J.T. Vasquez outlined areas where psychological research has secured justice and called for continued work to safeguard health-care reform.

By Christopher Munsey

Monitor Staff

October 2011, Vol 42, No. 9

Print version: page 30

Psychologists' research has led to remarkable strides forward in social justice, helping us investigate and understand societal challenges, such as human and civil rights violations, effects of national disasters, terrorism and the importance of a sustainable environment, said APA President Melba J.T. Vasquez, PhD.

Among its many accomplishments, psychologists' research has led to the development of amicus briefs contributing to a decision prohibiting life without parole sentences for juveniles in non-capital criminal cases. It persuaded Florida to strike down a state law that prohibited gay and lesbian people from adopting children. It has convinced state and federal courts that overcrowding in state prisons was undermining inmates' mental health.

"These activities directly affect people's lives," Vasquez said.

Psychologists are continuing their work to promote social justice for all Americans by promoting health-care reform and working to ensure that the greater access to mental health services gained in recent years is preserved and more, she said.

"We know that not all members of our society have access to our services ... and that leads us to work in the future to make sure that those aspects of health care do not get undone," she said in her presidential address during APA's 2011 Annual Convention. "We hope you will help us with those efforts."

Now, as the nation struggles in tough economic times, APA must continue its longstanding commitment to social justice and responsibility, she said. Working for social justice is, after all, part of APA's mission and vision, as articulated in APA's strategic plan. Throughout APA's history, Vasquez said, its leaders have stepped forward to address social justice concerns. Among the most memorable examples of such leadership was the work by APA President Kenneth B. Clark, PhD, and Mamie Phipps Clark, PhD, which contributed to the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that racial segregation in public education was unconstitutional.

Today's need for advocacy on social justice issues runs just as deep, said Vasquez, pointing out:

• One in five American children lives in poverty and half a million are homeless, according to a 2008 report from the Foundation of Child Development.
• The income gap among whites, blacks and Hispanics significantly widened between 2005 and 2009, according to a Pew Research Center report. The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households, and 18 times that of Hispanic households, the report found.
• The United States lacks a national strategy to address how social and environmental factors result in shorter lifespans and chronic illness, according to the Institute of Medicine and National Academies of Science.

"We're living in a very challenging time," she said, calling on psychologists to be "proactive in addressing critical social problems, especially those to which our research speaks."

While describing how psychology research can further social justice, Vasquez conceded that APA's members don't always agree on whether, or how, the association should speak out on controversial issues. For example, some members have contested several APA reports, such as the findings on abortion and mental health, sexual orientation change efforts and same-sex marriage and parenting, she said. Heated debates also have broken out over APA's stance on the role of psychologists in the interrogation of terrorism detainees, proposed changes to the APA Model Licensing Act and the proposed seating of the four ethnic-minority psychological associations as voting members on the Council of Representatives, Vasquez said.

And while open, public debate is healthy for APA, Vasquez appealed for civility, too. "We can all work to turn down the temperature on outrage, and we can disagree passionately, but with respect and care," she said.

For more information on these articles and above mentioned research in the field of psychology go to: http://www.apa.org/monitor/index.aspx