What attachment scholars can learn from research on Black family resilience

Abstract

Within a sociohistorical context of racism-related physical and emotional threats, Black families in the United States have developed sources of resilience to promote children's safety and positive development. Yet research on Black family resilience has rarely been integrated into one of the most influential theories of child development: attachment theory. In this article, we propose specific ways that attachment scholars can learn from research on Black family resilience to enrich models of parent–child relationships, focusing on three sources of resilience: culturally specific parental protections (e.g., “The Talk,” preparation for bias), extended caregiving networks (e.g., natural mentors, fictive kin, spiritual community), and racial-ethnic identity development (e.g., racial pride messages to protect against social denigration). We argue that including insights from research on the resilience of Black children and families in the face of racism-related threats across generations can substantially advance current understanding of caregiving, attachment, and positive child development in context.