Racial differences in the effects of peer and media influence on adolescents' alcohol cognitions and consumption were examined in a large-scale panel study. With regard to peer influence, results from cross-lagged panel analyses indicated that the relation between perceived peer Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Frederick X. Gibbons, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 6207 Moore Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755; or rick.gibbons@dartmouth.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at www.apa.org/pubs/journals/adb NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptPsychol Addict Behav. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 December 1. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript drinking and own drinking was significant for both Black and White adolescents, but it was stronger for the White adolescents. With regard to media influence, structural modeling analyses indicated that exposure to drinking in movies was associated with more alcohol consumption 8 months and 16 months later. These effects were mediated by increases in: the favorability of the adolescents' drinker prototypes, their willingness to drink, and their tendency to affiliate with friends who were drinking. Multiple group analyses indicated that, once again, the effects (both direct and indirect) were much stronger for White adolescents than for Black adolescents. The results suggest media influence works in a similar manner to social influence, and that Whites may be more susceptible to both types of influence.Keywords media influence; adolescent drinking; prototype-willingness African American (Black) adolescents start using substances later on average than do European American (White) adolescents and they use them less frequently (Johnston et al., 2005;Wallace et al., 2002). This is true in spite of the fact that Black adolescents are more likely to be raised in environments that provide opportunities to use (i.e., substance availability; LaVeist & Wallace, 2000) as well as a reason (i.e., more stress; Walker et al., 2000). Although many researchers have discussed this important paradox, there is no consensus as to why it exists. One hypothesis, explored in this study, involves social influence: Black adolescents are thought to be less vulnerable to peer pressure than are White adolescents (see Hoffman, Monge, Chou, & Valente, 2009, for a review). There is some evidence in support of this assumption, but it is mostly indirect. For example, the correlation between reports of friends' use and...
Objective-Low self-esteem in adolescents has been associated with a number of risk and protective factors in previous studies, but results have been mixed. Our objective was to examine characteristics associated with low self-esteem in a large national sample of young adolescents.Design/Methods-Population-based correlational study. A sample of 6522 adolescents, aged 12-16 years, was surveyed by phone as part of a national study of media and substance use. Selfesteem was measured with three questions that assessed global self worth and physical appearance. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the relation between self-esteem and socio-demographics, child personality characteristics, weight status, daily TV time, parenting style, school performance and team sports participation. Interactions among gender, race, and weight status were examined.Results-In multivariate analysis, female gender, Hispanic race, overweight and obesity, sensation seeking, rebelliousness, and daily TV time were each independently associated with lower self-esteem. Teens of Black race, with higher parental responsiveness and demandingness, better school performance or involvement in team sports were less likely to report low self-esteem. Black females were at lower risk and Hispanic males were at higher risk for low esteem than peers of similar gender of other races.Conclusions-Low self-esteem was associated with a number of modifiable risk factors including obesity, television time, team sports participation, school performance and parenting style that should be discussed with teens and parents at health supervision visits. Further research examining race and gender-specific factors that serve to moderate risk for poor self-esteem in adolescents is warranted.
Objective Prospective data tested a “differential mediation” hypothesis: The relations (found in previous research) between perceived racial discrimination and physical health status versus health-impairing behavior (problematic substance use) are mediated by two different types of affective reactions, internalizing and externalizing. Methods The sample included 680 African American women from the Family and Community Health Study (M age = 37 at Time 1; 45 at Time 4). Four waves of data were analyzed. Perceived discrimination was assessed, along with anxiety and depression (internalizing) and hostility / anger (externalizing) as mediators, and physical health status and problematic substance use (drinking) as outcomes. Results Structural equation modeling indicated that discrimination predicted increases in both externalizing and internalizing reactions. These affective responses, in turn, predicted subsequent problematic substance use and physical health status, respectively, also controlling for earlier reports. In each case, the indirect effects from discrimination through the affective mediator to the specific health outcome were significant and consistent with the differential mediation hypothesis. Conclusion Perceived racial discrimination is associated with increases in internalizing and externalizing reactions among Black women, but these reactions are related to different health outcomes. Changes in internalizing are associated with self-reported changes in physical health status, whereas changes in externalizing are associated with changes in substance use problems. Discussion focuses on the processes whereby discrimination affects health behavior and physical health status.
There are substantial racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease in the U.S., but few mechanisms have emerged as feasible intervention targets. A growing body of research suggests that racial/ethnic differences in sleep deficiency, including extreme sleep duration, sleep-disordered breathing, and insomnia, may help explain disparities in cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying racial/ethnic disparities in sleep. In this article, we review the extant literature on sleep and cardiovascular outcomes (e.g., hypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease) and racial/ethnic differences in these relations. We also discuss possible mechanisms that might help explain racial/ethnic sleep disparities, including neighborhood disadvantage, psychosocial and occupational stressors, acculturation, and treatment access and adherence. More research is needed to establish causal linkages among race/ethnicity, sleep, and these mechanisms, but existing evidence suggests that targeting these factors in interventions may reduce racial/ethnic sleep disparities and improve primary prevention of cardiovascular disease among all racial/ethnic groups.
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