The impact of family functioning on anxiety symptoms in African American and European American young adults

The current study aimed to investigate reported family functioning and its impact on anxiety symptoms in a sample of African American and European American young adults. One hundred African American and one hundred twenty one European American young adults completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a retrospective version of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD). Results indicated that the African Americans reported significantly less anxiety as measured by the BAI and the STAI Trait subscale. Significant differences did not exist on the FAD subscales. A structural equation model was posed to test measurement model invariance and subsequent prediction of anxiety from a latent factor of family functioning created from the FAD subscales. Results indicated that the family functioning factor loadings were significantly different between African Americans and European Americans. Further analyses revealed that family functioning significantly predicted anxiety symptoms in the European American sample, but not the African American sample. Implications of familial functioning, anxiety, and ethnicity are discussed.