Research Project

Currently, there are two research projects that comprise the DERBY (Daily Experiences and Realities of Black Youth) Research Study:

Experiences of Discrimination and Mental Health

This is a longitudinal project that will be conducted among African American youth.  Approximately 350 to 400 African American adolescents, aged 13 to 17, will complete a research questionnaire at two time periods with a year interval between them.   Initially, we wish to examine whether specific coping behaviors (i.e., avoidant, active or support seeking) mediate the relationship between perceptions of racial discrimination and psychological well-being.  The relationship between normative aspects of adolescent development (i.e., temperament and physical development) and perceptions of racial discrimination will also be assessed.  An additional purpose is to examine dimensions of identity (racial identity content and racial identity development) as moderators for perceptions of racial discrimination.   Academic outcome variables (academic competence, academic effort, academic intention, academic oppositional identity) and other potential mediators and moderators (school belonging and racial socialization) were also included for analyses.  Several questions regarding experiences of racial discrimination will be probed for information regarding attributions, perpetrator and the reaction to these experiences among the current sample.     

Daily Experiences of Discrimination

This is a daily diary project that will be conducted among 50 African American high school adolescents.  The primary methodology is the experiential sampling procedure in order to capture momentary assessments of perceptions of racial discrimination.  Initially, African American youth will complete a baseline questionnaire followed by daily diaries for two weeks.   We are interested in understanding how frequently African American youth perceive incidents of racial discrimination on a daily basis.   A second goal is to understand the daily relationship between perceptions of racial discrimination, mental health and academic achievement.  This goal attempts to answer whether diminished mental health and academic achievement predict perceptions of racial discrimination or if perceptions of racial discrimination predict maladaptive health and academic achievement.  Lastly, the moderating capacity of racial identity over an episodic time period will be examined in relation to perceptions of racial discrimination, mental health and academic outcomes.  It is of interest to assess whether racial identity buffers perceived racial discrimination on a daily basis.