Trajectories of Racial Discrimination That Predict Problematic Alcohol Use Among African American Emerging Adults

Overview

Journal Emerg Adulthood

Publisher Sage Publications

Date 2021 Apr 9

PMID 33833905

Citations 16

Authors

Daniel B Lee

Justin E Heinze

Enrique W Neblett

Cleopatra H Caldwell

Marc A Zimmerman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The association between racial discrimination (discrimination) and problematic alcohol use in African American (AA) emerging adults is well documented. Few researchers, however, have studied the longitudinal relationship between discrimination and problematic alcohol use among AA male and female emerging adults. In a sample of 681 AAs aged 19-25 (51% male), we explored multiple, distinct trajectories of discrimination and socio-demographic predictors of the trajectory classifications. We also examined the relation between discrimination trajectories and problematic alcohol use and the extent to which sex modified these associations. Collectively, the findings revealed that three trajectories - high-stable, low-rising, and low-declining - characterized discrimination experiences for AA emerging adults. Males in the high-stable trajectory class reported more problematic alcohol use than males in other trajectory classes and all females. These findings lay the foundation for future research that examines gender-specific mechanisms in the discrimination-health link.

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