African American adolescents (132 males and 128 females; age M = 14.8 years, SD = 0.92) enrolled in an urban community social skills development program participated in a study assessing the relationship among perceptions of family and community social support, fear of calamitous events, depression, and anger expression. Expressing fear of calamitous events that were considered harmful but not necessarily lethal was related to increased depression, whereas expressing fear of lethal calamitous events was related to increased anger expression. Results are discussed in terms of issues of race, gender, and adolescent development.
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