CULTURE AND PROBLEM BEHAVIORS AMONG INNER-CITY AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH- FURTHER EXPLORATIONS

The present study examined connections between culture and problem beh aviors among 119 inner-city African-American fifth and sixth graders. The relevant orientations of the Afrocultural, Anglocultural and margi nalized minority realms of the African-American experience were consid ered in terms of mean endorsement, interrelationships, and relationshi ps with aggressive and delinquent behaviors. Results indicated that yo uth endorsed the Afrocultural orientation of spirituality and the Angl ocultural orientation of effort optimism most highly. Afrocultural ori entations were positively associated with effort optimism, while the o ther Anglocultural orientations correlated positively with marginalize d minority orientations. The Anglocultural orientation of person/objec t relations and the marginalized orientations of school rejection, and gang-related activity predicted problem behaviors. The Afrocultural o rientations did not emerge as significant negative predictors of such behaviors. Findings are discussed primarily in terms of directions for future research. (C) 1996 The Association for Professionals in Servic es for Adolescents