The Experience of Racism on Behavioral Health Outcomes: the Moderating Impact of Mindfulness

Research shows that racial discrimination results in adverse behavioral health outcomes for African–American young adults, including risk for depression, anxiety, and substance use. Although high levels of mindfulness have been shown to reduce risk for such health outcomes, it is unknown whether mindfulness can reduce risk as a consequence of racial discrimination, particularly among African Americans. Three-hundred and eighty-eight African–American young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 (M = 20.6, 62% female) completed measures assessing past-year experiences of racial discrimination, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, alcohol use, and trait mindfulness. A positive correlation was found between racial discrimination and the behavioral health outcomes, as well as a negative correlation between mindfulness and the behavioral health outcomes. Moreover, mindfulness was found to significantly moderate the effect of racial discrimination on mood symptoms. Although mindfulness was found to lessen the effect of racial discrimination on alcohol use, this difference was not statistically significant. In line with previous literature, racial discrimination was shown to have a negative impact on behavioral health outcomes among African Americans. Moreover, our findings provide support for the buffering effect of mindfulness on mood symptoms as a consequence discrimination. This suggests that increasing mindfulness may be an effective strategy to include in interventions targeting improvement in mood symptoms for African–American young adults. However, alternative strategies may be more appropriate to address outcomes, such as alcohol use, as a consequence of racial discrimination

Racial/ethnic differences in the time-varying association between alcohol expectancies and drinking during the transition from childhood to adolescence

Alcohol expectancies are important determinants of adolescent drinking, but this relationship may differ based on race/ethnicity. This study used time-varying effect modeling to examine racial/ethnic differences in positive and negative alcohol expectancies and their relationship with drinking among White, African American, and Hispanic youth. Youth reported alcohol expectancies and drinking frequency from 5th-10th grade. African Americans initially endorsed higher positive alcohol expectancies than Whites, but its relationship with drinking was stronger among Whites. Hispanic youth reported slightly higher negative alcohol expectancies in high school, but the relationship between negative expectancies and alcohol use was comparable across groups. The effect of expectancies on alcohol use outcomes may be more robust for Whites, which warrants investigation of risk factors for minority youth

Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Fatigue in Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to determine the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in improving fatigue-related outcomes in adult cancer survivors. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from PubMed, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases and reference lists of included studies. Separate random-effects meta-analyses were conducted for fatigue and vitality/vigor. Twenty-three studies reporting on 21 RCTs (N=2,239) met inclusion criteria. MBIs significantly reduced fatigue compared to controls at post-intervention (g=0.60, 95% CI [0.36, 0.83]) and first follow-up (g=0.42, 95% CI [0.20, 0.64]). Likewise, MBIs significantly improved vitality/vigor at post-intervention (g=0.39, 95% CI [0.25, 0.52]) and first follow-up (g=0.35, 95% CI [0.03, 0.67]). The evidence grade was low due to risk of bias, substantial heterogeneity, and publication bias among studies. MBIs show promise in improving fatigue and vitality/vigor in cancer survivors. More rigorous trials are needed to address current gaps in the evidence base

Examining the unique and additive effect of trauma and racial microaggressions on substance use risk among Black young adults

Objective: Exposure to traumatic events is linked to adverse health outcomes, including substance use. Contemporary models have conceptualized racism, including racial microaggressions, as a form of trauma. However, few studies have been conducted examining the unique and additive effect of racial microaggressions within models that include exposure to traditional forms of trauma on substance use outcomes, as well as whether effects vary by gender. Method: Three hundred and ninety-nine Black young adults between 18 and 29 (61% female, mean age 20.7) completed measures on problem alcohol and cannabis use, and experiences of trauma and racial microaggressions. Results: Controlling for age, gender, income, race (i.e., monoracial vs. multiracial), and recruitment source, regression analyses showed that racial microaggressions predicted problem substance use above the effect of trauma exposure. Moreover, exoticization/assumptions of similarity and workplace/school microaggressions primarily accounted for the effect of racial microaggressions on substance use risk. One gender effect was found, with trauma exposure associated with lower cannabis use for Black males and a nonsignificant effect found for Black females. Conclusions: Racial microaggressions provide unique and additive understanding in risk for substance use outcomes among Black young adults above effects observed from exposure to traditional forms of trauma. This finding highlights the significance of racial microaggression on health outcomes for Black young adults and can inform future research in the area of trauma exposure and substance use risk among this population of young people