Perceived Discrimination and Longitudinal Increases in Adolescent Substance Use: Gender Differences and Mediational Pathways

Objectives. This study was designed to test hypotheses about the prospective association of adolescents’ perceptions of discrimination with increases in substance use and the processes that mediate this association. Methods. African American youths residing in rural Georgia (n = 573; mean age = 16.0 years) provided longitudinal data on their experiences with discrimination, substance use, school engagement, and affiliations with substance-using peers. Results. For male youths, perceived discrimination was significantly related to increases in substance use, and, as hypothesized, this association was mediated by the contributions of perceived discrimination to decreases in school engagement and increases in affiliations with substance-using peers. Analyses also indicated that discrimination influences substance use rather than vice versa. Conclusions. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that high levels of discrimination are linked to increases in substance use for African American male adolescents.