Prospecting prejudice: An examination of the long-term effects of perceived racial discrimination on the health behavior and health status of African Americans

Abstract

African American adolescents tend to use substances at a lower rate than adolescents of other racial/ethnic groups. However, that pattern tends to change later in life, as African American young adults tend to exceed other young adults in terms of rates of problematic use. Several factors have been suggested as contributors to this racial cross-over in use patterns. This chapter concerns one of those factors: perceived racial discrimination. We report results of survey and experimental research examining the discrimination a substance use relation, with a focus on mediators of the relation (e.g., anger, diminished self-control), as well as moderators, including buffers (effective parenting, racial identity) and risk factors (coping style, neighborhood integration). Implications for intervention are also discussed.