Using EMA to explore the role of Black adolescents' experiences in activity spaces in momentary negative emotion and marijuana use
Jaime M. Booth
In her new study ‘Using EMA to explore the role of Black adolescents' experiences in activity spaces in momentary negative emotion and marijuana use’, Jaime M. Booth explores the impact of daily racism for Black youth, and how these stressful experiences can influence patterns of marijuana use. She also highlights the mediating effect of social support on marijuana use for Black adolescents. Findings in this study suggest that youth use more marijuana on days that they experience spaces that are violent or racist, and that they may be using marijuana to cope with the stress that arises when they are inhabiting those spaces.
Key Insights:
· Exposure to activity spaces that adolescents perceive to be violent and/or racist is directly related to negative emption and marijuana use.
· Negative emotion fully explained the relationship between violence and social support and marijuana use but did not fully explain the role of racism
· It also appears that experiencing social support in an activity space is related to less negative emotions and, therefore, may prevent marijuana use.