# The role of momentary acute discrimination and cultural resilience in polysubstance use among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2024 · $129,656

## Abstract

ABSTRACT. The parent project is an exploratory-sequential mixed methods study to document the nature of
daily variation in acute perceived discrimination-related stress among adults from Black, Indigenous and People
of Color (BIPOC) communities that have been historically impacted by structural and social inequities. We aim
to examine how these variations influence poly-substance use (PSU) among BIPOC minoritized adults, with an
emphasis on evaluating momentary predictors of resilience to stress. PSU carries elevated risks of addiction and
is associated with negative health outcomes and greater comorbidity than single-substance use. This is a highly
timely study because the extent to which these processes of stress and PSU are at post-pandemic, and how
they coincide with poignant events involving modern displays of overt racism and discrimination, then perpetuate
and aggravate addiction-related disparities is unknown. The parent grant focuses on African American, Latinx
American and Asian American adults who co-use combustible cigarettes, e-cigarettes, marijuana and/or alcohol
(i.e., PSU), to inform context-sensitive EMA, refined during a qualitative study phase. Subsequently, an
independent sample of BIPOC adults who co-use 2+ substances (N=270) will complete 7-day EMA over 4 waves
to assess time-varying contexts relevant to the experience of discrimination associated with daily variation in
PSU. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (NH/PI) are an understudied NIH health disparity population deeply
impacted by cultural trauma and negative social and economic factors that contribute to severe substance use
disparities. Recruiting and analyzing a unique sample of NH/PI adults will strengthen the aims of the parent study
by capturing unique aspects of discrimination that adversely affect individuals with various aspects of minoritized
identities and its relation to PSU among NH/PI. Guided by leading NIH experts in NH/PI substance use
disparities, in Aim 1, we will use 2-3 focus groups (FGs; N~20) to better understand the experience of
discrimination, cultural trauma, and coping resources in the context of intersectionality of race/ethnicity and
gender in relation to PSU to inform context-sensitive EMA, refined during a pilot EMA phase. In Aim 2, an
independent sample of NH/PI adults who co-use 2+ substances (N=25) will be recruited through intensive
community-led efforts and targeted digital ads, and will complete 7-day EMA every 3 months over 4 waves to
determine the within-person effects of perceived discrimination and cultural trauma on PSU and identify the
underlying mechanisms. IMPACT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first multi-wave EMA study that uses
a social-ecological framework and a novel, culturally appropriate, real-time assessment design to determine the
impact of day-to-day discrimination and PSU in NH/PI adults. We expect our study to uncover micro-temporal
etiologies of PSU disparities across NH/PI adults that will inform fu...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10906388
- **Project number:** 3R01DA055839-02S2
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jimi Huh
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $129,656
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2023-04-15 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10906388

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10906388, The role of momentary acute discrimination and cultural resilience in polysubstance use among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults (3R01DA055839-02S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10906388. Licensed CC0.

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