Research & Resources

North American Indigenous youth experience disproportionate rates of racial discrimination, as well as consequences associated with alcohol use. In this study, researchers examined the role of self-compassion as a moderator of the links between racial discrimination and alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among North American Indigenous youth. First Nation adolescents from reserve communities in eastern Canada completed a pencil-and-paper survey regarding their experiences of racial discrimination, self-compassion, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. The survey results revealed that the association between racial discrimination and alcohol use was significant for those adolescents reporting low levels of self-compassion. Similarly, the association between racial discrimination and alcohol-related problems was significant for those reporting low levels of self-compassion. The findings suggested that low levels of self-compassion could increase the risk for alcohol use and negative alcohol-related consequences in the context of racial discrimination among North American Indigenous adolescents. The researchers suggested that future work could examine the utility of interventions targeting self-compassion; specifically, their effects on responses to racial discrimination and alcohol use.

This paper, “Perceived racial discrimination, alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems: The moderating role of self-compassion in reserve-dwelling First Nation youth,” was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and published in the journal Translational issues in psychological science.