An Afrocentric approach to group social skills training with inner-city African American adolescents

This study compared the effectiveness for inner-city African American youth (N = 64) of two social skills training (SST) curricula focusing on problem solving, anger management, and conflict resolution. One curriculum was Afrocentric, incorporating discussion of Black history and cultural experiences and emphasizing an Afrocentric value system; the other was culturally relevant but not Afrocentric. It was hypothesized that social skills acquisition would be better facilitated by Afrocentric curricula and that exposure to Afrocentric values would enhance the benefits of SST for Black youth. Neither hypothesis was confirmed; both curricula yielded similar decreases in trait anger and increases in assertiveness and self-control. However, results support the effectiveness of Afrocentric SST as a preventive intervention and the need for further study.