Drugs and racial microaggressions: A mediation analysis of racism, mental health, and coping strategies

Introduction: Racial microaggressions are daily slights and denigrations perpetrated toward people of color (PoC). These forms of everyday racism are significant stressors for PoC and can insult, invalidate, and assault racial identities. Past findings on discrimination indicate a strong link between engagement in maladaptive behaviors (e.g., substance use and behavioral addictions) and perceived racism. Although the topic of racism is receiving more traction, a dearth of knowledge still persists on racial microaggressions and how these daily interactions can elicit negative coping behaviors, particularly substance use. The current study examined the relationship among microaggressions, substance use, and psychological distress symptoms. Specifically, we aimed to explore if PoC cope with racial microaggressions by using substances.Methods: We surveyed 557 PoC within the United States using an online platform. Participants answered questions related to their experiences with racial microaggressions, drug and alcohol use as coping strategies for discrimination, and self-reported mental health. Experiences with racial microaggressions was the main predictor variable and the drug and alcohol use as coping strategy was the main outcome variable. The study tested psychological distress as the main mediator for the relationship between racial microaggressions and drug and alcohol use.Results: Findings indicated that microaggressions were a significant predictor of psychological distress symptoms, B = 0.272, SE = 0.046, p < .001, and psychological distress was a significant predictor of coping strategies that involved substance and alcohol use, B = 0.102, SE = 0.021, p < .001. Racial microaggressions were no longer a significant predictor of coping strategies that involved substance and alcohol use after controlling for psychological distress, B = 0.027, SE = 0.024, p = .260. In an exploratory approach, our model was further explained by assessing alcohol refusal self-efficacy, which results suggest be a second mediator in the relation between racial microaggressions and substance use.Conclusion: Overall, results suggest that racial discrimination exposes PoC to higher risks for both poorer mental health and the misuse of substances and alcohol. Practitioners treating PoC with substance abuse disorders might also need to assess the psychological impact of experiences with racial microaggressions.