National Institute of Mental Health. Research Smith-Bynam is the Director of the Black Families Research Group, dedicated to conducting high quality research on African American families. Her research lab focuses on parenting skills, racial socialization, health effects of discrimination and racism, and understanding psychological factors that impact young black adolescents within the African American community. Smith-Bynam's research has focused on the negative psychological effects of racism on African American youth. Her collaborative research has documented increases in long term depressive symptoms amongst African American youth with impacts on their social skills and academics. Her co-authored article titled Racism experiences and psychological functioning in African American college freshmen: Is racial socialization a buffer? examined whether parental racial socialization might reduce the effect of racism and improve psychological functioning of African American college students. In a sample of 247 African American freshmen, the researchers observed that students who had experienced racism had poorer levels of psychological functioning and increased psychological distress as compared to their peers. Parental communication conveying cultural pride and emphasizing cultural resources as a means of coping with racist encounters was found to reduce psychological distress. Black parents who educate their children about racial socialization infuse their home environments with positive affirming images of African American people and expose them to literature and culture in order to create "psychological armor against racial stereotypes." Bynam has also studied the psychological stress and emotional damage of parents who are separated from their children at the border. Forcible separation, unlike predictable separation such as divorce, incarceration, or military deployment, can result in a sense of helplessness leading to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, emotional numbness, and reliving the moment of separation on repeat. Representative publications Sellers, R. M., Smith, M. A., Shelton, J. N., Rowley, S. A., & Chavous, T. M. (1998). Multidimensional model of racial identity: A reconceptualization of African American racial identity. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2(1), 18–39. Smith‐Bynum, M. A., Anderson, R. E., Davis, B. L., Franco, M. G., & English, D. (2016). Observed racial socialization and maternal positive emotions in African American mother–adolescent discussions about racial discrimination. Child Development, 87 (6), 1926–1939. Smith‐Bynum, M. A., Best, C., Barnes, S. L., & Burton, E. T. (2008). Private regard, identity protection and perceived racism among African American males. Journal of African American Studies, 12(2), 142–155. Smith‐Bynum, M. A., Burton, E. T., & Best, C. (2007). Racism experiences and