Racial Discrimination and Substance Use among African American Youth: Personal and Collective Self-Esteem as Mechanisms

Abstract

Little is known about the mechanisms of the relationship between racial discrimination and substance use among Black youth. The current study examined the role of collective self-esteem and personal self-esteem in this relationship among Black adolescents in grades 5 through 12 (N = 1514; 57% female). Regression analyses estimated direct effects of perceived racial discrimination on substance use and indirect effects of discrimination on substance use through personal and collective self-esteem. Controlling for grade and sex, results revealed significant indirect effects such that experiences of discrimination were positively associated with substance use through lower reports of collective and personal self-esteem. Findings suggest that bolstering personal and race-related esteem may mitigate the deleterious influence of discrimination among Black youth.