The Effects of Perceived Racial/Ethnic Discrimination on Substance Use Among Youths Living in the Cherokee Nation

ABSTRACT

We examined frequency and intensity of racial/ethnic discrimination and the longitudinal relationship to substance use. The sample included (N = 1,421) American Indian, American Indian and White, and White adolescents. A high frequency of perceived racial discrimination was associated with an increased risk for heavy alcohol use, prescription drug misuse, and other illicit drug use. Experiences of perceived racial discrimination high in intensity were associated with further increased risk of prescription drug misuse and other illicit drug use. Race/ethnicity did not moderate the relationship between perceived racial discrimination and substance use. Interventions targeting the deleterious effects of racial discrimination may need to be designed to account for both the environment and the individual.

KEYWORDS:

• adolescence
• American Indian
• perceived racial discrimination
• substance use

Acknowledgment

We wish to acknowledge and thank Dr. Terrence K. Kominsky and Jessica Douthitt for their leadership and management of data collection efforts.

Funding

This study was supported by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Grant Number R01AA020695. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health, the Cherokee Nation, the University of North Texas Health Science Center, or Emory University.