Family Stress and Youth Mental Health Problems: Self-Efficacy and Future Orientation Mediation

The following study assessed whether future orientation and self-esteem mediated the relationship between family stress and mental health problems among African American youth. Data from this study included 638 African American adolescents purposively sampled from predominantly low-income neighborhoods. Major variables assessed were family stress, self-esteem, future orientation, mental health, and covariates (i.e., gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic proxy). Structural equation modeling computed direct and indirect (meditational) relationships between family stress and youth mental health. The average age of participants was 15.83 years old, slightly half of whom were female. The path model detected a significant relationship between family stress and mental health problems. Self-esteem and future orientation had a significant mediation effect on the relationship between family stress and mental health problems. Overall findings underscore the importance of strengthening resilience factors for African American youth, especially those who live in low-income communities. Public Policy Relevance Statement Youth from low resourced communities are confronted by structural disadvantage often resulting in them residing in households where there are high rates of adult substance use, incarceration, and mental health problems. While African American youth are overrepresented in many of these stressful households, the majority of research targeting these youth have adopted a deficit versus resiliency-based paradigm. This study findings document in even in the presence of contextual and family stressors protective factors can correlate with better behavioral and mental health. Policymakers are, therefore, required to direct resources and promote programs that support the development of self-esteem and future orientation especially in the presence of harsh social contexts.