The impact of cultural and institutional race-related stress on mental health outcomes among ethnic/racially minoritized young adults: Ethnic identity as a protective factor.

Racism is multidimensional with three main domains: individual, cultural, and institutional. Much of the research linking racism/race-related stress to negative health outcomes have focused on race-related stress based on full-scale scores or within the individual domain of racism. Far less research has examined the cultural and institutional domains. Thus, the present study examined whether (a) there is a direct positive effect of cultural and institutional race-related stress on anxiety and depressive symptoms among a sample of ethnic/racially minoritized (ERM) young adults and whether (b) ethnic identity affirmation, belongingness, and commitment (EI-ABC), which has been identified as a protective factor of racism, buffers the effect of cultural and institutional race-related stress on symptoms of anxiety and depression. A total of 515 ERM young adults (58.5% females, Mage = 23.94, SD = 5.86) completed an online study examining stress and health outcomes among ERM young adults. A series of multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between race-related stress and anxiety and depressive symptoms and the moderating role of EI-ABC. Cultural and institutional race-related stress were found to significantly predict symptoms of depression and anxiety. Further, EI-ABC significantly buffered the effect of cultural (but not institutional) race-related stress on anxiety symptoms. Interventions for cultural race-related stress among ERMs that target anxiety symptoms should include building high EI-ABC. Additional research should identify factors that may alleviate symptoms of anxiety or depression associated with experiencing cultural and institutional race-related stress among ERM young adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Differential Role of Perceived Same-Gender and Gender-Neutral Norms in Emerging Adult Risk Behavior.

Background: Normative perceptions are strongly related to risk behaviors among emerging adults but the role of gender-specific normative perceptions remain unclear. Objectives: The current study examined the differential effects of same-gender and gender-neutral normative perceptions on self-reported substance use and sexual risk behavior. College students (n = 389, ages 18-25) reported binge drinking, cannabis use and prescription drug misuse, sexual risk behavior, and the perceived frequency of these behaviors by both the average- and same-gender adult. Results: Binge drinking was positively associated with same-gender norms only, whereas cannabis use and sexual risk behavior were also positively associated with gender-neutral norms perceptions. For binge drinking only, same-gender norms explained more variance in behavior than gender-neutral norms. Conclusions: Findings indicate perceptions of same-gender norms play a particularly important role in binge drinking during this developmental period. Interventions targeting emerging adult risk behavior should include within-group normative perceptions related to demographic and social group characteristics.

Feasibility and acceptability of texting school-aged adolescents to assess daily substance use among community-based black and white youth.

BACKGROUND: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is well-suited to measure adolescent substance use. Previous research with adolescents, particularly racially minoritized adolescents, has predominantly provided mobile devices to participants as a strategy to reduce structural barriers to technology access. This report examined feasibility and acceptability of a text-message-delivered EMA protocol to adolescents' personal phones. METHODS: Non-Hispanic Black and White adolescents aged 14-18 years with mobile phone access and past-30-day substance use were recruited from community settings. Respondents (n = 36; 55.5 % female; 55.5 % White) completed a 14-day diary assessing substance use. RESULTS: Respondents completed M = 13.8 (SD = 1.36) diaries for a compliance rate of 93.5 %. Black respondents completed significantly fewer diaries (87.9 %) than White respondents (97.9 %) although compliance rates were high among both groups. Adolescents reported high acceptability of the protocol, with 97.1 % willing to participate again. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest text-message-based EMA delivered to personal phones is acceptable and feasible for assessing substance use among adolescents. As the sociodemographic "digital divide" narrows among adolescents, this cost-effective and equitable method becomes more feasible.