Violence Victimization Predicts Body Mass Index One Decade Later among an Urban Sample of African American Young Adults: Sex as a Moderator and Dehydroepiandrosterone as a Mediator.

Psychological stressors such as violence victimization are known contributors to obesity. However, moderators and mediators of this association have not been studied, although they might offer pathways for intervention or prevention. Using a sample of African American young adults, this study tested: (1) the moderating effect of sex on the effect of violence victimization on trajectories of body mass index (BMI), and (2) the mediating effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on this association. This 13-year longitudinal study followed 73 male and 80 female African American young adults who lived in an urban area from 1999 to 2012 when the youth were 20-32 years old. The independent variable was violence victimization measured in 1999 and 2000. The dependent variable was BMI measured in 2002 and 2012. The mediator was DHEA measured in 2001 and 2002. Multilevel path analysis was used to test if males and females differed in violence victimization predicting change in BMI (Model I) and the mediating effect of DHEA change on the above association (Model II). The results of Model I suggested that the change in violence victimization from 1999 to 2000 predicted change in BMI from 2002 to 2012 for females, but not males. Based on Model II, the DHEA change from 2000 to 2001 for females fully mediated the association between violence victimization from 1999 to 2000 and increases in BMI from 2002 to 2012. Our findings suggest that violence victimization in urban areas contributes to the development of obesity among African American female young adults and change in DHEA mediates this link. Violence prevention may have important implications for obesity prevention of African American young women who live in unsafe urban areas. This study also suggests that DHEA may be involved in the violence victimization-obesity link for African American women.

The Effects of Multiple Dimensions of Risk and Protective Factors on Depressive Symptoms Among Nonresident African American Fathers.

Compared to other groups, African American men experience proportionately greater adverse social and economic circumstances, which have been linked to poor mental health. A growing body of literature has begun to examine depressive symptoms among African American men; however, limited literature has examined the concurrent contributions of risk and protective factors among nonresident African American fathers. This study examined the relative contribution of perceived financial strain, perceived neighborhood characteristics, and interpersonal stress on depressive symptoms among 347 nonresident African American fathers. Social support was examined as a protective factor for depressive symptoms. Results from hierarchical regression analyses indicated interpersonal stress was associated with depressive symptoms even after controlling for perceived financial strain, perceived neighborhood characteristics, and specific sociodemographic factors. Additionally, among fathers with high interpersonal stress, having more social support buffered the negative effect of interpersonal stress on depressive symptoms. Findings suggest experiencing strain from multiple dimensions can increase the risk of depressive symptoms among nonresident African American fathers. We also found that interpersonal stress was especially harmful for mental health. Family service providers and mental health professionals should incorporate stress management techniques to reduce stressful interpersonal relationships as a way to lower depressive symptoms among nonresident African American fathers.

Heterosexual romantic involvement and depressive symptoms in black adolescent girls: effects of menarche and perceived social support.

Research has accumulated to demonstrate that depressive symptoms are associated with heterosexual romantic involvement during adolescence, but relatively little work has linked this body of literature to the existing literature on associations between early pubertal timing and adolescent depressive symptoms. This study extends prior research by examining whether early menarche and heterosexual romantic involvement interact to predict depressive symptoms in a national sample of Black adolescent girls (N = 607; M age = 15 years; 32 % Caribbean Black and 68 % African American). We further examined whether the adverse effects of heterosexual romantic involvement and early menarche would be mediated by perceived social support from mothers, fathers, and peers. Path analysis results indicated that girls who report current involvement in a heterosexual romantic relationship also reported high levels of perceived peer support than girls with no romantic involvement. High levels of perceived peer support, in turn, predicted low levels of depressive symptoms. Romantically involved girls with an early menarche also reported significantly less depressive symptoms than girls not romantically involved with an early menarche. Neither perceived maternal support nor perceived paternal support mediated associations between heterosexual romantic involvement, menarche, and depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that individual and social factors can impede heterosexual romantic involvement effects on depressive symptoms in Black adolescent girls.

Perceived Racial/Ethnic Discrimination, Citizenship Status, and Self-Rated Health Among Immigrant Young Adults.

Both racial/ethnic discrimination and citizenship status are manifestations of racism. Few empirical studies have examined the role of multiple stressors and how both stressors are interlinked to influence health among immigrant young adults. Informed by the theory of stress proliferation, the current study seeks to examine the interplay between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and citizenship status on health. We used the third wave of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS) to examine the influence of perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and citizenship status on self-rated health (SRH) among immigrant young adults (N = 3344). Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination was initially associated with SRH. After adjusting for both predictors, those experiencing perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and non-citizen youth were less likely to report better health than youth who did not report perceived racial/ethnic discrimination or citizen youth. In fully adjusted multivariate regression models, racial/ethnic discrimination remained significant, while citizenship status was no longer associated with SRH. To test stress proliferation, an interaction term was included to assess whether the relationship between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and SRH varied by citizenship status. The interaction term was significant; non-citizen young adults who experienced racial/ethnic discrimination were less likely to report better health in comparison to citizen young adults and those who did not report perceived racial/ethnic discrimination. Results suggest that the interplay between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and citizenship status may be influential for health among immigrant young adults. These findings underscore the need for further assessment of the role of stress proliferation on immigrant young adults' health.

Fathers Matter: Black Fathers' Relationships with their Partners during Pregnancy and Postpartum.

PURPOSE: To describe the characteristics of participants in the Fathers Matter study for a better understanding of fathers of the baby who engage in pregnancy research involving primarily Black couples and their relationships with their partners. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The Fathers Matter Study uses a prospective design, identifying father-mother dyads during pregnancy and following them until birth as part of the Biosocial Impacts on Black Births Study. Participants completed prenatal and postpartum questionnaires. RESULTS: Our analyses are based on 111 fathers. Nearly all ( n = 101, 91.1%) of fathers identified as Black and 51.4% ( n = 57) had a high school diploma, graduate equivalency diploma, or higher. About half ( n = 57, 51.4%) reported annual incomes of $10,000 or less. Most reported that relationships with the mother were very close both before ( n = 100, 89.9%) and during ( n = 85, 76.6%) pregnancy. However, substantial variability was found in relationship satisfaction, involvement in the pregnancy, financial support provided, and scales of conflict and support. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: We found homogeneity in sociodemographic and basic relationship measures. Complex measures of the father-mother relationships demonstrated considerable variability. Data from fathers may identify their contributions to successful birth outcomes. Understanding relationships between fathers and mothers could identify risk or protective characteristics to be addressed at the family or community levels.

Personal mastery and psychological well-being among young grandmothers.

This study examined the association between relationship quality, personal mastery, and psychological well-being among 83 young Black and White American grandmothers in families with teenage mothers. Interviews were conducted during the early stages of adaptation to grandparenthood due to the birth of a baby to a teenage daughter. Findings indicated that the effects of the mother-daughter relationship are mediated through mastery. When grandmothers feel a sense of mastery, the conflict with the teenage mother is not as detrimental to their psychological health. Findings are discussed in the context of developing supportive services for grandmothers in families with teenage mothers.

Congruence between urban adolescent and caregiver responses to questions about the adolescent's asthma.

In clinical and research settings, it is increasingly acknowledged that adolescents may be better positioned than their caregivers to provide information in regard to their own health status, including information related to asthma. Very little is known, however, about the congruence between adolescent and caregiver responses to questions about asthma beyond reports of symptoms. We analyzed data for 215 urban, primarily African-American adolescent-caregiver pairs. Adolescents and caregiver reports concerning the adolescent's asthma-related medical history were moderately correlated and not found to differ at the aggregate level. Correlations between adolescent and caregiver reports of the adolescent's asthma symptoms and functional status were weak, although these differences deteriorated at the aggregate level. Adolescent-caregiver reports of symptoms and functioning were more likely to be in agreement if the adolescent was older, if school personnel were unaware of the child's asthma, and if the adolescent's asthma was classified as mild intermittent. For questions concerning the frequency of hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and physician visits, moderate correlations between adolescent and caregiver responses were noted, although with some differences at the aggregate level. Findings suggest that, when adolescents and their caregivers are asked about the adolescent's asthma in clinical and research settings, the extent to which the two perspectives are likely to agree depends on the type of information sought. Clinicians and researchers may obtain more accurate information if questions about symptoms and functional status are directed toward adolescents.

Ethnicity, perceived pubertal timing, externalizing behaviors, and depressive symptoms among black adolescent girls.

An accumulation of research evidence suggests that early pubertal timing plays a significant role in girls' behavioral and emotional problems. If early pubertal timing is a problematic event, then early developing Black girls should manifest evidence of this crisis because they tend to be the earliest to develop compared to other girls from different racial and ethnic groups. Given the inconsistent findings among studies using samples of Black girls, the present study examined the independent influence of perceived pubertal timing and age of menarche on externalizing behaviors and depressive symptoms in a nationally representative sample of Black girls (412 African American and 195 Caribbean Black; M = 15 years). Path analysis results indicated that perceived pubertal timing effects on externalizing behaviors were moderated by ethnic subgroup. Caribbean Black girls' who perceived their development to be early engaged in more externalizing behaviors than Caribbean Black girls' who perceived their development to be either on-time or late. Age of menarche did not significantly predict Black girls' externalizing behaviors and depressive symptoms. The onset of menarche does not appear to be an important predictor of Black girls' symptoms of externalizing behavior and depression. These findings suggest ethnic subgroup and perceived pubertal timing are promising factors for better understanding the adverse effects of early perceived pubertal timing among Black girls.

Examining the influence of family environments on youth violence: a comparison of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, non-Latino Black, and non-Latino White adolescents.

Existing research rarely considers important ethnic subgroup variations in violent behaviors among Latino youth. Thus, their risk for severe violent behaviors is not well understood in light of the immense ethnic and generational diversity of the Latino population in the United States. Grounded in social control theory and cultural analyses of familism, we examine differences in the risk for severe youth violence, as well its associations with family cohesion, parental engagement, adolescent autonomy, household composition, and immigrant generation among Mexican (n = 1,594), Puerto Rican (n = 586), Cuban (n = 488), and non-Latino Black (n = 4,053), and White (n = 9,921) adolescents with data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results indicate a gradient of risk; White youth had the lowest risk for severe violence and Puerto Rican youth had the highest risk compared to all other racial/ethnic subgroups. Within-group analysis indicates that family factors are not universally protective or risk-inducing. While family cohesion decreased the risk of severe violence among all groups, parental engagement was associated with increased risk among Blacks and Whites, and adolescent autonomy was associated with increased risk among Puerto Ricans and Cubans. In addition, Cuban and White adolescents who lived in single parent households or who did not live with their parents, had higher risk for severe violent behaviors than their counterparts who lived in two parent households. Among Latinos, the association of immigrant generation was in opposite directions among Mexicans and Cubans. We conclude that family and immigration factors differentially influence risk for violence among Latino subgroups and highlight the significance of examining subgroup differences and developing intervention strategies that are tailored to the needs of each ethnic subgroup.

Discrimination, Mastery, and Depressive Symptoms Among African American Men.

PURPOSE: This study examines the influence of discrimination and mastery on depressive symptoms for African American men at young (18-34), middle (35-54), and late (55+) adulthood. METHOD: Analyses are based on responses from 1,271 African American men from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). RESULTS: Discrimination was significantly related to depressive symptoms for men ages 35 to 54 and mastery was found to be protective against depressive symptoms for all men. Compared to African American men in the young and late adult groups, discrimination remained a statistically significant predictor of depressive symptoms for men in the middle group once mastery was included. IMPLICATIONS: Findings demonstrate the distinct differences in the influence of discrimination on depressive symptoms among adult African American males and the need for future research that explores the correlates of mental health across age groups. Implications for social work research and practice with African American men are discussed.

Blowing the whistle: what do African American adolescents with asthma and their caregivers understand by "wheeze?".

AIMS: To investigate what African American adolescents with asthma and their caregivers understand by "wheeze". METHODS: Caregivers (n = 35) and adolescents (n = 35) were each asked to describe what they understood by "wheeze". Respondents were also shown a video clip of an adolescent wheezing and asked: a) to describe the breathing of the adolescent in the video; and, b) whether the adolescent respondent's breathing had ever been similar to the video-presented symptoms. RESULTS: Most caregivers described wheeze in terms of sound alone (61.8%) while the majority of adolescents described wheeze as something that is felt (55.8%). Few caregivers and adolescents (5.8% each) included "whistling" in their descriptions of "wheeze". Most caregivers and adolescents used the word "wheeze" when describing the video clip, but nearly one-quarter of the caregivers and one-third of the adolescents felt that the adolescent's breathing was never similar to the video. CONCLUSION: Caregiver and adolescents descriptions of wheeze are different from each other and both may be different from clinical definitions of the term. Study findings have implications for the ways in which questions about "wheeze" are framed and interpreted.

Enhancing parenting skills among nonresident African American fathers as a strategy for preventing youth risky behaviors.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a theoretically based, culturally specific family intervention designed to prevent youth risky behaviors by influencing the parenting attitudes and behaviors of nonresident African American fathers and the parent-child interactions, intentions to avoid violence, and aggressive behaviors of their preadolescent sons. A sample of 158 intervention and 129 comparison group families participated. ANCOVA results indicated that the intervention was promising for enhancing parental monitoring, communication about sex, intentions to communicate, race-related socialization practices, and parenting skills satisfaction among fathers. The intervention was also beneficial for sons who reported more monitoring by their fathers, improved communication about sex, and increased intentions to avoid violence. The intervention was not effective in reducing aggressive behaviors among sons. Findings are discussed from a family support perspective, including the need to involve nonresident African American fathers in youth risky behavior prevention efforts.

Sex Differences in the Association between Household Income and Children's Executive Function.

The study aimed to investigate sex differences in the boosting effects of household income on children's executive function in the US. This is a cross-sectional study using data from Wave 1 of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Wave 1 ABCD included 8608 American children between ages 9 and 10 years old. The independent variable was household income. The primary outcome was executive function measured by the stop-signal task. Overall, high household income was associated with higher levels of executive function in the children. Sex showed a statistically significant interaction with household income on children's executive function, indicating a stronger effect of high household income for female compared to male children. Household income is a more salient determinant of executive function for female compared to male American children. Low-income female children remain at the highest risk regarding poor executive function.

Family Income at Birth and Risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder at Age 15: Racial Differences.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status (SES) resources protect children and adults against the risk of medical and psychiatric conditions. According to the Minorities' Diminished Returns theory, however, such protective effects are systemically weaker for the members of racial and ethnic minority groups compared to Whites. AIMS: Using a national data set with 15 years of follow up, we compared Black and White youth for the effects of family SES at birth on the risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at age 15. Methods: The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS, 1998⁻2016) is a longitudinal prospective study of urban youth from birth to age 15. This analysis included 2006 youth who were either White (n = 360) or Black (n = 1646). The independent variable was family income, the dependent variable was ADHD at age 15. Child gender, maternal age, and family type at birth were covariates, and race was the focal moderator. We ran logistic regressions in the overall sample and specific to race. RESULTS: In the overall sample, high family income at birth was not associated with the risk of ADHD at age 15, independent of all covariates. Despite this relationship, we found a significant interaction between race and family income at birth on subsequent risk of ADHD, indicating a stronger effect for Whites compared to Blacks. In stratified models, we found a marginally significant protective effect of family SES against the risk of ADHD for White youths. For African American youth, on the other hand, family SES was shown to have a marginally significant risk for ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: The health gain that follows family income is smaller for Black than White families, which is in line with the Minorities' Diminished Returns. The solution to health disparities is not simply policies that aim to reduce the racial gap in SES, because various racial health disparities in the United States are not due to differential access to resources but rather the impact of these resources on health outcomes. Public policies, therefore, should go beyond equalizing access to resources and also address the structural racism and discrimination that impact Blacks' lives. Policies should fight racism and should help Black families to overcome barriers in their lives so they can gain health from their SES and social mobility. As racism is multi-level, multi-level interventions are needed to tackle diminished returns of SES.

SYSTEMATICALLY SHORTCHANGED, YET CARRYING ON: Black Adolescent Girls in the Detroit Metropolitan School Reform Environment.

School reform policies, such as the closure of "low-performing" schools and the competitive introduction of school choice and charters, were presented to communities of color as the fix to educational inequities and the lifeline needed for urban Black students to have a chance at a quality education and social mobility. The ways in which reforms have under-delivered on this promise, and in some cases exacerbated negative academic outcomes, particularly for Black boys, are documented. Yet, research on the experience of Black adolescent girls is sparse. We explore ways that policies aimed at delivering a school choice environment have affected daily life for Black adolescent girls. We examine this issue in the context of the Detroit metropolitan area with Black adolescent girls, reflecting on their high school education experiences that spanned a time-period of rapid transitions in the schooling environment (2014-2016) prompted by a series of school reforms in Michigan. Through in-depth interviews we found that girls sought to invest in their high school education as a path to college; yet the very reforms advanced as ways to clear this path, hindered their ability to spend time on the human and social capital activities believed to be important to their academic success and social mobility. Our findings suggest advantages for those students with proximal access to high quality neighborhood schools cannot be replicated in a choice environment. There may also be health consequences of the coping strategies girls are compelled to employ to carry on under adverse educational circumstances.

Perceived Racial Discrimination and Marijuana Use a Decade Later; Gender Differences Among Black Youth.

Background: Researchers have reported gender differences in the association between perceived racial discrimination (PRD) and substance use including marijuana use (MU). A limited number of longitudinal studies, however, have documented the long-term effect of PRD during adolescence on subsequent MU in young adulthood. Objective: In the current longitudinal study, we tested gender differences in the association between baseline PRD during adolescence and subsequent MU during young adulthood within Black population. Methods: A cohort of 595 Black (278 male and 317 female) ninth grade students were followed for 13 years from 1999 (mean age 20) to 2012 (mean age 33). Participants were selected from an economically disadvantaged urban area in the Midwest, United States. The independent variable was PRD measured in 1999. The outcome was average MU between 2000 and 2012 (based on eight measurements). Covariates included age, socio-demographics (family structure, and parental employment), and substance use by friends and parents. Gender was the focal moderator. Linear regression was used for statistical analysis. Results: In the pooled sample, PRD in 1999 was not associated with average MU between 2000 and 2012. We did, however, find an interaction effect between baseline PRD and gender on average MU, suggesting stronger association for males than females. In gender-specific models, baseline PRD predicted average MU between 2000 and 2012 for males, but not for females. Conclusion: Exposure to PRD during late adolescence may have a larger role on MU of male than female Black young adults. Although we found that males are more vulnerable to the effects of PRD on MU, PRD should be prevented regardless of race, gender, and other social identities. While PRD is pervasive among Black Americans, exposure to PRD increase the risk of MU for Black males. Hence, substance use prevention efforts for Black males, in particular, should emphasize coping with PRD.

Teacher Discrimination Reduces School Performance of African American Youth: Role of Gender.

Background: Gender may alter African Americans' vulnerability to discrimination. The type of outcomes that follow exposure to discrimination may also be gender-specific. Although teacher discrimination is known to deteriorate school performance, it is yet unknown whether male and female African American youth differ in the effect of teacher discrimination on school performance. Objective: This cross-sectional study explored the moderating role of gender on the effect of teacher discrimination on school performance in a national sample of African American youth. Methods: The National Survey of American Life-Adolescent Supplement (NSAL-A) enrolled a nationally representative sample (n = 810) of 13⁻17-year-old African American youth. Demographic factors, socioeconomic status, teacher discrimination, and school performance (grade point average, GPA) were measured. Linear multivariable regression models were applied for data analysis. RESULTS: Males and females reported similar levels of perceived teacher discrimination. In the pooled sample, higher teacher discrimination was associated with lower school performance among African American youth (b = -0.35; 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.49 to -0.22). Gender interacted with perceived teacher discrimination (b = 12; 95% CI = 0.24⁻2.02), suggesting a significant difference between males and females in the magnitude of the association between perceived teacher discrimination and GPA. In stratified models, perceived teacher discrimination was associated with worse school performance of females (b = -12; 95% CI = -0.03 to -2.78) but not males (b = 0.01; 95% CI = -0.07 to 0.08). CONCLUSION: In line with previous studies, gender was found to alter the vulnerability of African American youth to perceived discrimination. African American boys and girls may differ in their sensitivity to the effects of teacher discrimination on school performance.

Social Determinants of Perceived Discrimination among Black Youth: Intersection of Ethnicity and Gender.

Most of the existing sociological and epidemiological literature has focused on the protective effects of high socioeconomic status (SES) on population health through reducing exposure to risk factors and increasing human and material resources that can mitigate adversities. Recent studies, however, have documented poor mental health of high SES Blacks, particularly African American males and Caribbean Black females. The literature also shows a link between perceived discrimination and poor mental health. To better understand the extra costs of upward social mobility for minority populations, this study explored ethnic by gender variations in the associations between SES indicators and perceived discrimination in an ethnically diverse national sample of Black youth. This study included 810 African American and 360 Caribbean Black youth who were sampled in the National Survey of American Life-Adolescent supplement (NSAL-A). Three SES indicators (financial hardship, family income, and income to needs ratio) were the independent variables. The dependent variable was perceived (daily) discrimination. Age was the covariate. Ethnicity and gender were the focal moderators. Linear regressions were used for data analysis in the pooled sample and also based on the intersection of ethnicity and gender. Considerable gender by ethnicity variations were found in the patterns of the associations between SES indicators and perceived discrimination. Financial hardship was a risk factor for perceived discrimination in African American males only. High family income and income to needs ratio were associated with high (but not low) perceived discrimination in African American males and Caribbean Black females. SES indicators were not associated with perceived discrimination for African American females or Caribbean Black males. When it comes to Black youth, high SES is not always protective. Whether SES reduces or increases perceived discrimination among Black youth depends on the intersection of ethnicity by gender. Additional research is needed to understand why and how high SES increases exposure and vulnerability to discrimination for some groups of Black youth.

Perceived Discrimination and Substance Use among Caribbean Black Youth; Gender Differences.

Although perceived discrimination in Black youth is a risk factor for a wide range of negative mental health outcomes, recent research has suggested some gender differences in these associations. Gender differences in vulnerability to perceived discrimination among Caribbean Black youth is, however, still unknown. The current cross-sectional study investigated gender variations in the association between perceived discrimination and substance use (SU) in a national sample of Caribbean Black youth. Data came from the National Survey of American Life-Adolescents (NSAL-A), 2003⁻2004. This analysis included 360 Caribbean Black youth (165 males and 195 females) who were between 13 and 17 years old. Sociodemographic factors, perceived discrimination, and SU were measured. Logistic regressions were used for data analysis. Among Caribbean Black youth, a positive association was found between perceived discrimination and SU (odds ratio (OR) = 1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.02⁻1.29)). A significant interaction was found between gender and perceived discrimination on smoking (OR = 1.23 (95% CI = 1.07⁻1.41)) suggesting that the association between perceived discrimination and smoking is larger for male than female Caribbean Black youth. The interaction between gender and perceived discrimination on SU was not statistically significant (OR = 1.32 (95% CI = 0.94⁻1.86)). While perceived discrimination increases SU in Caribbean Black youth, this effect is stronger for males than females, especially for smoking. While discrimination should be reduced at all levels and for all populations, clinicians may specifically address discrimination for SU prevention and treatment among male Caribbean Black youth.

Family Socioeconomic Status at Birth and Youth Impulsivity at Age 15; Blacks' Diminished Return.

Minorities’ Diminished Return theory suggests that health effects of socioeconomic status (SES) are systemically smaller for racial and ethnic minorities compared to Whites. To test the relevance of Minorities’ Diminished Return theory for youth impulsivity, we investigated Black⁻White differences in the effects of family SES at birth on subsequent youth impulsivity at age 15. Data came from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), 1998⁻2016, a 15-year longitudinal study of urban families from the birth of their children to age 15. This analysis included 1931 families who were either White (n = 495) or Black (n = 1436). The independent variables of this study were family income, maternal education, and family structure at birth. Youth impulsivity at age 15 was the dependent variable. Gender was the covariate and race was the focal moderator. We ran linear regressions in the overall sample and specific to each race. In the overall sample, higher household income (b = −0.01, 95% CI = −0.01 to 0.00) and maternal education (b = −0.24, 95% CI = −0.44 to −0.04) at birth were associated with lower youth impulsivity at age 15, independent of race, gender, and family structure. A significant interaction was found between race and household income at birth (b = 0.01, 95% CI = 0.00 to 0.02) on subsequent youth impulsivity, which was indicative of a stronger protective effect for Whites compared to Blacks. Blacks’ diminished return exists for the long-term protective effects of family income at birth against subsequent youth impulsivity. The relative disadvantage of Blacks in comparison to Whites is in line with a growing literature showing that Black families gain less from high SES, which is possibly due to the existing structural racism in the US.