The influence of racial discrimination on smoking among young black men: A prospective analysis

Abstract

Racial discrimination is a documented risk factor for smoking among Black men; mechanisms of effect and protective processes remain to be investigated. This study examined the mediating effect of anger/hostility on the association between racial discrimination and smoking and the influence of protective social ties in buffering the effects of racial discrimination. Hypotheses were tested using longitudinal data from a study of 505 Black men ages 19–22. Data collected for the study occurred at three timepoints, each 12 months apart. Racial discrimination is associated with increases in cigarette smoking between baseline and follow-up. Anger/hostility partially mediated this association. Moderational analyses indicated that discrimination had little or no impact on men’s smoking in the presence of protective social ties. Study findings suggest that supportive networks make crucial contributions to the reduction of cigarette smoking and feelings of anger within this population. Intervention developers should consider targeting relationship dynamics with supportive networks to understand coping mechanisms and to reduce substance use among young black men.

Keywords:

• racial discrimination
• Black
• young men
• smoking

Acknowledgments

We thank Eileen Neubaum-Carlan, MS, for her helpful comments in the preparation of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Award Number R01 DA029488 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health.