Racial centrality mediates the association between adolescent racial discrimination and adult cigarette smoking outcomes among Black Americans. (January 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Haeny, Angela M.; Gibbons, Frederick X.; Fleischli, Mary E.; Gerrard, Meg; Lopez, Joel; Beach, Steven R.H.
• Is Part Of: Social science & medicine. Volume 316(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-01
• Subjects: Racial discrimination -- Racial centrality -- Cigarette use -- Black/African American; Social medicine -- Periodicals; Medical anthropology -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Psychology -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine sociale -- Périodiques; Anthropologie médicale -- Périodiques; Santé publique -- Périodiques; Psychologie -- Périodiques; Médecine -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.105
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115225
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0277-9536

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate racial centrality as a mediator of the association between Black adolescents' racial discrimination experiences and their cigarette use in early adulthood. Methods: The data were drawn from the Family and Community Health Study, which is a longitudinal study of Black American families that began in 1996. Families with a child in 5th grade who identified as Black or African American were recruited from Iowa and Georgia. At baseline, there were 838 Black American children. Hierarchical regressions and bootstrap tests of the indirect effects were used to investigate whether racial centrality at Wave 5 (mean age = 21.6 years) mediated the association between adolescent discrimination at Waves 1–4 (mean ages = 10.5–18.8 years) and adult cigarette use at wave 6 (mean age = 23.5 years). Results: Bivariate associations indicated racial discrimination was significantly associated positively with racial centrality and adult use of cigarettes. Racial centrality indirectly affected the association between racial discrimination and cigarette use such that greater racial centrality was associated with less cigarette use. Further, racial centrality predicted cessation among those who had smoked. Finally, racial centrality was higher among those who never smoked and those who had smoked and quit, relative to those who currently smoke. Conclusions: These findings suggest that having strong Black racial centrality is a mediator that reduces the risk of cigarette use among young adults who experience racial discrimination in adolescence. In addition, racial centrality also predicts smoking cessation among young Black Americans who smoke. Translational implications of these findings are discussed. Highlights: Racial discrimination is associated with increased tobacco use among Black youth. We examined racial centrality as a mechanism underlying these associations. Racial centrality mediated the association between discrimination and lower smoking. Racial centrality also predicted smoking cessation among those who smoke. Developing racial centrality may be important for reducing smoking among Black youth.