Ethnic racial socialization within and across black immigrant and nonimmigrant families.

INTRODUCTION

Ethnic-racial socialization (ERS) is a protective mechanism used by Black parents to instill cultural pride and communicate information about race, ethnicity, and racism to their children. To date, few studies have examined the similarities and differences that exist in the messages that Black nonimmigrant and Black immigrant parents share. Additionally, little is known about whether discrepancies between parent and adolescent reports of ethnic racial socialization differ for Black immigrants and nonimmigrant families.

METHODS

The current study examines these potential differences through focus group interviews with 18 (7 Nonimmigrant, 11 immigrant) parents ( x ¯ age = 41.1 ) and 16 (6 nonimmigrant and 10 immigrant) adolescent ( x ¯ age = 15.0 ) . Focus group sessions were conducted between June and November 2025, lasted 60-90 min, were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed in NVivo using deductive and inductive codes from a collaboratively developed codebook. We leverage a concurrent integrative mixed-method design and present findings from a thematic analysis and content analysis of our focus groups.

RESULTS

The four deductive themes identified from our participants were: (1) ethnic-racial socialization messages; (2) coping socialization; (3) relational and contextual influences; and (4) outcomes and meaning making. We also present inductive themes that highlight socialization reporting discrepancies within and across immigrant and nonimmigrant dyads. ERS within immigrant and nonimmigrant Black families is dynamic, multifaceted, and contextually grounded.

DISCUSSION: These findings underscore the importance of recognizing variation in the ways Black families communicate and adolescent perceptions and responses to ERS messages. Interventions and supports aimed at improving adolescent mental health must account for these cultural nuances, building on family strengths to foster resilience and positive identity development among Black adolescents.