Adults' Attitudes Toward Multiracial Children

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2003

School

Psychology

Abstract

A between-groups experimental design was used to examine adults' attitudes toward multiracial children of African descent. The purpose was to determine if the races of the respondent, the child, and the child's friends are related to adults' ratings of children's self-perception and depressive symptoms. A total of 156 undergraduate students (African American = 78, European American = 78) read a vignette in which the race of the target child (European American, African American, or multiracial) and the child's friends (European American or African American) were experimentally controlled. Participants assessed the child using a revision of Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Children and a revised version of Kovacs's Children's Depression Inventory-Short Form. Ratings of the child's global self-worth and depressive symptoms were negatively correlated. The results of a 2×2×3 MANOVA revealed a significant three-way interaction for the races of the child, the respondent, and the child's friends on adults 'ratings of the child's peer acceptance. The implications of these findings are discussed. © 2003 The Association of Black Psychologists.

Publication Title

Journal of Black Psychology

Volume

29

Issue

4

First Page

463

Last Page

480

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