The influence of family cohesion on self-regulation and anxiety problems among African American emerging adults

Abstract

Although African Americans have lower rates of anxiety in childhood than other racial and ethnic minority groups, they seem to experience escalating rates during emerging adulthood. Despite this, few studies have examined factors associated with anxiety during emerging adulthood among African American populations. The current study investigated the extent to which late adolescent family relationships affect anxiety problems among African American emerging adults. Informed by family development theory, family cohesion was hypothesized to indirectly effect anxiety problems through self-regulation. This model was tested with three waves of data (ages 17, 19, 21) from African Americans participating in the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study. Study findings were consistent with the hypothesized model: family cohesion forecasted decreased anxiety problems, indirectly, via increased self-regulation. This finding suggests that families may be an important promotive process for anxiety problems during emerging adulthood. Prevention programs that target family processes may be able to reduce anxiety problems in emerging adult African Americans.