“I Didn’t Know Who to Talk to”: Black College Men’s Sources and Descriptions of Social Support

Abstract

Young Black men face unique interpersonal challenges throughout their time on college campuses, as they are forced to navigate anticipated developmental stressors (e.g., academic adjustment), coupled with race-specific microaggressions and structural forms of harm. Still, members of this group remain underrepresented in higher education, and their lived experiences have been neglected within existing men’s studies research. Therefore, carefully examining Black college men’s forms of social support is necessary when working to identify specific factors that either impede or promote their academic success and psychological wellbeing. Two research questions guided this analysis: (a) from whom do Black college men receive social support? and (b) for what circumstances or events do Black college men describe receiving or needing support? Interviews were conducted with 27 Black men enrolled at a large public Predominately White Institution (PWI) in the United States. Applied thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Study findings reveal that Black college men rely upon their peers, campus student groups, fraternities, and family members for social support. In a departure from existing research, participants also described the importance of women in their lives and showed great appreciation for the support provided by their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and female friends. Additionally, participants also described receiving support from others when faced with challenging circumstances like adjusting to college, encountering discrimination, working through conflict with family, and experiencing depression. Study findings offer new insights by highlighting both the circumstances and specific people young Black men turn to when they are in need