Racial bullying and adolescent substance use: An examination of school-attending young adolescents in the United States

• Published in: Journal of ethnicity in substance abuse 2017-01, Vol.16 (1), p.23-42
• Main Authors: Stone, Andrea L., Carlisle, Shauna K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - ethnology; Adolescents; African Americans - ethnology; Aggressiveness; Alcohol use; Alcohols; Asian Americans - statistics & numerical data; Bullying; Cannabis; Child psychology; Children; Cigarettes; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Drug use; Ethnic groups; Ethnicity; European Continental Ancestry Group - ethnology; Female; Health behavior; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Latin American cultural groups; Male; Marijuana; Minority & ethnic groups; Perpetrators; Prevention; Race; Race relations; Racial differences; Racism - ethnology; Regression analysis; Regression models; Schools; Smoking; Social psychology; Substance abuse; Substance use; Substance-Related Disorders - ethnology; United States - ethnology; Youth
• ISSN: 1533-2640; 1533-2659
• DOI: 10.1080/15332640.2015.1095666

This article examines the association between race and racial bullying (bullying due to one's race), in relation to youth substance use in school attending young adolescents in the United States. Weighted unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models were run to assess if racial bullying involvement was associated with youth substance use. Data for this study come from the Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children survey (n = 7,585). An association between racial bullying status (not involve, bullying victim, bullying perpetrator, or mixed bullying victim/perpetrator) and youth substance was identified in this study. Racial bully perpetrators were most likely to have used cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana, followed by youth in the mixed victim/perpetrator group. When analyses were stratified by race, non-Hispanic White and Hispanic youth experienced an increased risk of cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use if in the perpetrator or mixed group (compared to those not involved with racial bullying). Non-Hispanic White and Asian youth were also more likely to report marijuana use if in the victim group. Non-Hispanic Black youth were more likely to use alcohol and marijuana if they were a perpetrator or in the mixed group, but they were not more likely to use cigarettes. Differences appear to exist in relation to racial bullying experience and substance across racial/ethnic group among youth in grades 7-10. Implications for prevention and educational professionals are discussed.