Pathways linking attachment and depressive symptoms for Black and White adolescents: do race and neighborhood racism matter?

ABSTRACT

Decades of evidence demonstrate that insecure attachment is associated with increased risk for depressive symptoms. Yet research has focused on predominantly White samples, with little attention to whether developmental pathways vary by social-contextual factors like racial identity and neighborhood racism. This study examines whether longitudinal links between attachment style and depressive symptoms differ for White and Black American adolescents or by exposure to neighborhood racism (N = 171, M_age at Time 1 = 14 years). Multigroup measured variable path analyses controlling for gender and household income revealed that attachment avoidance predicted relative increases in depressive symptoms for White adolescents, but not for Black adolescents. Links between attachment style and depressive symptoms did not differ based on exposure to neighborhood racism. Experiences of neighborhood racism were associated with greater attachment avoidance but not anxiety. Results highlight the importance of examining attachment in different socioecological contexts to illuminate the unique pathways characterizing Black youth development.

KEYWORDS:

• Attachment
• race
• depression
• adolescence
• African Americans

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This research and the preparation of this article were supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) [R01DA018647, R21DA025550, to Lejuez]. Preparation of the manuscript was supported in part by a Dean's Research Initiative seed grant from the University of Maryland College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (award no. DRI-L1-2018 to Cassidy & Stern), and by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of NIH under Award Number F32HD102119 to the first author. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIH.