The erosive effects of racism: Reduced self-control mediates the relation between perceived racial discrimination and substance use in African American adolescents.

AbstractCurrent adolescent substance use risk models have inadequately predicted use for African Americans, offering limited knowledge about differential predictability as a function of developmental period. Among a sample of 500 African American youth (ages 11–21), four risk indices (i.e., social risk, attitudinal risk, intrapersonal risk, and racial discrimination risk) were examined in the prediction of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette initiation during early (ages 11–13), mid (ages 16–18), and late (ages 19–21) adolescence. Results showed that when developmental periods were combined, racial discrimination was the only index that predicted initiation for all three substances. However, when risk models were stratified based on developmental period, variation was found within and across substance types. Results highlight the importance of racial discrimination in understanding substance use initiation among African American youth and the need for tailored interventions based on developmental stage.

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Perceived racial discrimination and racial identity profiles among African American adolescents.

Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology ◽

10.1037/a0015506 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 137-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Eleanor K. Seaton

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Racial Identity ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

African American Adolescents ◽

Perceived Racial Discrimination

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Perceived Racial Discrimination and Health Behavior: Mediation and Moderation

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190243470.013.17 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Frederick X. Gibbons ◽

Michelle L. Stock

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Health Status ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Self Control ◽

Future Research ◽

Health Risk Behavior ◽

Substance Use And Abuse ◽

Control Research ◽

Perceived Racial Discrimination

Research has documented a strong link between perceived racial discrimination and various health outcomes among African Americans. These outcomes include health status and health-relevant behavior. This chapter focuses on the relation between the stress associated with perceived racial discrimination and health-risk behavior, primarily substance use and abuse. The chapter examines a variety of factors thought to mediate this relation, the two primary ones being negative affect and self-control. Research has shown that discrimination has an impact on both factors, and these in turn directly affect substance use. The chapter also examines several factors that have been shown to moderate the discrimination–health relationship. In addition, the chapter reviews research examining moderators that can be either risk-promoting or protective. Some research identifying individuals who appear to respond in a favorable or healthy manner to perceived discrimination is also reviewed. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research.

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Associations between trajectories of perceived racial discrimination and psychological symptoms among African American adolescents

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579414000571 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (4pt1) ◽

pp. 1049-1065 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Mia A. Smith-Bynum ◽

Sharon F. Lambert ◽

Devin English ◽

Nicholas S. Ialongo

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Psychological Symptoms ◽

Growth Mixture Modeling ◽

African American Adolescents ◽

Well Being ◽

Mixture Modeling ◽

Growth Mixture ◽

Discrimination Group ◽

Perceived Racial Discrimination

AbstractMany African American adolescents experience racial discrimination, with adverse consequences; however, stability and change in these experiences over time have not been examined. We examined longitudinal patterns of perceived racial discrimination assessed in Grades 7–10 and how these discrimination trajectories related to patterns of change in depressive and anxious symptoms and aggressive behaviors assessed over the same 4-year period. Growth mixture modeling performed on a community epidemiologically defined sample of urban African American adolescents (n= 504) revealed three trajectories of discrimination: increasing, decreasing, and stable low. As predicted, African American boys were more frequent targets for racial discrimination as they aged, and they were more likely to be in the increasing group. The results of parallel process growth mixture modeling revealed that youth in the increasing racial discrimination group were four times more likely to be in an increasing depression trajectory than were youth in the low stable discrimination trajectory. Though youth in the increasing racial discrimination group were nearly twice as likely to be in the high aggression trajectory, results were not statistically significant. These results indicate an association between variation in the growth of perceived racial discrimination and youth behavior and psychological well-being over the adolescent years.

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