Effects of Direct and Vicarious Discrimination on Alcohol and Cannabis Cravings: Virtual Reality Experiment

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Alcohol and cannabis are the most misused psychoactive substances in the United States, particularly among young adults (aged 18 to 25 years). African Americans use cannabis at higher rates than Whites, and they also are more likely to be diagnosed with cannabis use disorder and alcohol use disorder than Whites. Racism and discrimination are potentially key social determinants of African American drug use, and a substantial body of research has shown the negative impact of direct, interpersonal discrimination on African American young adults. Studies have also linked racial discrimination experiences to alcohol and cannabis use and their co- use, but this link is almost exclusively based on findings from correlational studies that use retrospective reports of direct interpersonal experiences with discrimination. There is a lack of knowledge on the effects of vicarious discrimination—a form of racism that is more commonly experienced than direct discrimination. There also have been few experimental studies examining effects racism and discrimination on drug use; such research is necessary to help establish a causal link between experiences of racism and discrimination and substance use. The main objective of the proposed research is to examine effects of both direct and vicarious racial discrimination on alcohol and cannabis use and co-use. Other objectives are to evaluate indirect pathways explaining this link by way of stress, rumination, and coping motives, and to evaluate the buffering role of racial private regard. We propose a novel between-group experiment that uses virtual reality to expose African American males and females (N = 456, 18-25 years) to different discrimination experiences. Using validated, semi-structured scripts in experimental simulations, virtual reality has the unique advantages of immersing research participants in realistic environments and interpersonal exchanges to promote ecological and internal validity of the findings. Experimental conditions will include direct discrimination, vicarious discrimination, and non-racism daily hassles. We will assess participants’ acute stress and coping motives to use alcohol or cannabis, or both, in real time, and assess their anger rumination and alcohol and cannabis use and co-use status 24 and 48 hours following the lab procedures. Three specific aims will be pursued: (1) determine the causal effects of direct and vicarious racial discrimination on alcohol and cannabis use and co- use, (2) identify pathways linking discrimination experiences to alcohol and cannabis use via acute stress and anger rumination, and subsequently coping motives, and (3) delineate the protective role of racial private regard on the effects of direct and vicarious discrimination on acute stress. This application aligns closely with NIDA’s Racial Equity Initiative and funding priority on polysubstance use, and NIH’s UNITE Initiative.