# University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute

> **NIH NIH UL1** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2024 · $176,363

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Discrimination is the most prominent stressor in Black individuals' everyday lives and can lead to a host of
detrimental emotional health outcomes. Black adolescents and young adults report coping with racial
discrimination by using alcohol or substances. Adolescent development unfolds amidst a complex system of
relationships influenced by multiple levels (i.e., individual, interpersonal, contextual) of the social ecology.
However, most research examining influences of racial discrimination on emotional health and substance use
has focused on individual and interpersonal dimensions of the social ecological system separately. Examining
risk and protective factors across multiple levels among Black youth who experience racial discrimination may
identify novel leverage points for strengths-based interventions that jointly address experiences of
discrimination and substance use to improve emotional health. The overall goal of this study is to examine
Black youth's racial discrimination experiences and illuminate individual, interpersonal, and contextual risk and
protective factors linking discrimination experiences with substance use and emotional health. We will leverage
data and research infrastructure from an ongoing cluster-randomized trial of a racial, gender, and economic
justice intervention for youth. In Aim 1, we will explore the interconnections of individual and interpersonal
factors associated with racial discrimination, emotional health outcomes, and substance use behaviors over
time. In Aim 2, we will conduct semi-structured interviews with Black youth to illuminate their experiences of
racial discrimination and contextual factors influencing substance use behaviors. With committed mentors and
strong institutional support, the PI will receive mentorship, didactic education, and research experience for her
career development in theoretical frameworks, latent class analyses, advanced qualitative methods, and
study management skills. This mentored research experience will prepare her for a K01 application to launch a
career as an independent investigator focused on decreasing the psychological and substance-related impact
of racial discrimination in minoritized groups through applied prevention research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10928374
- **Project number:** 3UL1TR001857-09S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** STEVEN E REIS
- **Activity code:** UL1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $176,363
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-07-12 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10928374

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10928374, University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (3UL1TR001857-09S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10928374. Licensed CC0.

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