# Online Racism and Mental Health Symptomatology Among Black Adolescents: A Longitudinal Examination

> **NIH NIH F31** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $46,233

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Black adolescents disproportionately report severe rates of psychological distress including,
depression24 and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)29 symptoms stemming from experiencing racial
trauma41 in comparison to other racial peers.18 Therefore, identification and examination of the antecedents of
psychological distress among Black adolescents is a pressing need.39 Online racism (e.g., racism via the
media and online platforms) is increasingly becoming a public health concern, with recent studies indicating
that almost 50% of Black individuals have experienced at least one online racial discriminatory act during
adolescence, and the most common discriminatory act being racist images or videos.50 However, our
understanding of the consequences of online racism on psychological distress among Black adolescents have
methodological limitations in (1) longitudinal explorations, (2) person-centered approaches, and (3) modeling of
attenuating cultural processes. The overarching goal of the proposed study is to address those limitations by
providing a methodically rigorous examination of the longitudinal effects of online racism exposure on
depression and PTSD symptoms, investigating the extent to which subgroups of Black adolescents differ in
online racism exposure, and the extent to which cultural processes of racial protection and racial pride serve as
protective factors in the face of online racism exposure. This goal aligns with NIMH Divisional of Translation
Research (DTR)’s priority of understanding the impact of adverse experiences during childhood and
adolescence on development and identifying periods where intervention could have optimal effects. These
aims will be addressed through secondary data analysis of two different dataset including self-identified Black
adolescents (i.e., ages 10 -19): (1) National Survey of Critical Digital Literacy (NSCDL) to investigate Aim 1
and Aim 2 and (2) Emotion Regulatory Flexibility among African American Adolescents Study (ERFAA) to
examine the exploratory aim. The specific aims are to 1) Test for heterogeneous profiles of online racism
exposure among Black adolescents, 2) Investigate the longitudinal effects of online racism exposure on
symptoms of depression and PTSD among Black adolescents, and 3) To examine the attenuating effects of
racial protection and racial pride on the effects of online racism exposure on depression and PTSD symptoms.
Anticipated findings can inform mental health research during this critical developmental period, one of five key
goals outlined in NIMH Division of Translation Research (DTR)'s current strategic plan. Moreover, the research
and training outlined in this NRSA F31 predoctoral fellowship application will equip me with the skills and
support needed to pursue a successful career as an independent research scientist by providing me with
knowledge of relevant theoretical models of Black adolescents’ online experiences and mental health
symptomatology,...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10537069
- **Project number:** 1F31MH131391-01
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen M Gibson
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $46,233
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-10 → 2024-09-09

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10537069

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10537069, Online Racism and Mental Health Symptomatology Among Black Adolescents: A Longitudinal Examination (1F31MH131391-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10537069. Licensed CC0.

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