The Experience of Racism on Behavioral Health Outcomes: The Moderating Impact of Mindfulness.
Tamika C B Zapolski, Micah T Faidley, Marcy Beutlich
Mindfulness January 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-018-0963-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 388 |
| Population | African American young adults aged 18-24 (mean age 20.6, 62% female) |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | African american Alcohol use Racial discrimination |
| Key findings | Racial discrimination was positively correlated with depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and alcohol use, and mindfulness was negatively correlated with these outcomes. Mindfulness significantly moderated the effect of racial discrimination on mood symptoms, indicating a buffering effect, but its moderation of the discrimination-alcohol use link was not statistically significant. The authors propose that boosting mindfulness may be an effective component of interventions for mood symptoms in this population, while other approaches may better address alcohol use. |
Abstract
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 18-24 (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.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Using a Randomized Clinical Trial to Test the Efficacy of a Culturally Responsive Mobile Health Application in African Americans. Behavior Therapy July 1, 2024
- A Digital Music-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Black Americans With Elevated Race-Based Anxiety: A Multiple-Baseline Pilot Study. JMIR Formative Research August 16, 2023
- Relative Impact of Mindfulness, Self-Compassion, and Psychological Resilience on Mental Health Outcomes in Racially Minoritized Adults. Psychological Reports November 16, 2023
- Mindfulness and compassion in response to racism Diaspora Indigenous and Minority Education September 11, 2023
- Development and Training of Mindfulness and Its Relationship with Executive Function in Chinese Rural Upper-Grade Elementary School Students. Behavioral Sciences March 26, 2025
and 9 more in the library
Cites 11
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors August 28, 2006
- Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators The Journal of Positive Psychology April 11, 2012
- Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Complementary health practice review April 1, 2008
and 6 more in the library